You Do Or You Dalton
by liz-loz
Summary: Kurt leaves his McKinley life behind to embark on a schooling career at Dalton. With it comes the highs, lows and just plain weird moments of living in a boys school, but will Kurt embrace this change, or crumble?
1. Goodbye

_So, this is my next multi-chapter fic. Hope you enjoy it - I'm really excited about this one._

_As promised the names of special people that have supported my other fics tirelessly will be included in this story. They're only small mentions but it's just to show you all that I care. And that you're awesome!_

_Also - to those of you reading this fic now - I just want to say that I wrote this BEFORE all of the hatred for 'Oh my Gaga'. I was ASKED by a reader to put it in because they said that Kurt wouldn't say Oh My God. I wouldn't have done it myself, but I was respecting them. And I'm not going through every chapter changing it. So deal! Haha._

_Enjoy... :D_

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Goodbye**

The room was dark. A dinghy dark so I could only see a few paces in front of me. Low lights flickered above, casting eerie shadows over walls dripping with dampness – the lines of condensation trickling slowly down until they reached the grey concrete floor and pooled into slimy puddles. I reloaded my gun and slowly stepped forward into the abyss.

It was deathly quiet.

My ears strained, listening in vain for any sound other than my footsteps, my heavy breathing and my racing heartbeat. He had to be round here somewhere…

BAM.

* * *

"Aha! Got you!" With a sigh I slumped back into the sofa as my Call of Duty character fell forward with a knife in his back.

"Damn this game." I muttered, the replay showing Blaine's character stalk up behind me whilst I'd been admiring the walls.

"Hey, don't worry – you'll get better." He replied with a smile.

"I sincerely doubt that." Fighting games were not my speciality – in fact every game Finn had in his collection, I sucked at.

"You just need to screen watch more – that's how most people make out that they're really good when you're in multiplayer." Blaine's eyes returned to the screen, his fingers rapidly pressing buttons, and I noticed I had been respawned outside the dingy warehouse.

It was weird – I didn't think I'd be this relaxed the day before my transfer to Dalton. Blaine had offered to come round to help with packing and moral support, but apart from stuffing a few things in a suitcase it had been a normal visit. He'd spied the game resting by Finn's football helmet and had persuaded me to have a go – hence why I was currently being destroyed.

"Watch out Kurt – I'm coming to get yooooou!" Blaine cackled and I panicked, pressing what I thought was shoot but turned out to be a grenade drop – something I only realised when I exploded right as he reached my position.

"Oh." He said, suppressing a giggle and I switched off my controller.

"Well that's enough of that game." Blaine made a noise of protest.

"Ohhh! I was enjoying beating you." He said as he reluctantly handed over his and I shot him a sarcastic look.

"It's the only chance you're ever going to get."

* * *

Once everything was packed away neatly I sat back down next to Blaine. He had slouched down, his arms spread out across the top of the sofa so when I leant back his hand briefly brushed against my neck.

"So…" He began, tilting his head to the side as he looked at me, "are you going to miss your room?" I paused, pondering the question.

"I won't miss sharing." Finn's half of the room was so messy it made me feel sick just looking at it – every time a stray pair of boxers encroached onto my side it was a full scale operation to remove it.

"You'll probably have to share at Dalton though."

"Yeah, but hopefully public school boys are cleaner than Finn." Blaine laughed and I joined in, glancing around the room once more. My pin board and desk looked awfully bare without all the knick-knacks and pictures I usually had everywhere.

"I think I will miss it though." I was going to miss a lot of things about Lima and McKinley – especially all the great friends I had made there. But as Karofsky had made it his mission to make my life hell, in order to cover up his homosexual tendencies, I had no choice. Dalton loomed over my subconscious like a scary grey cloud, but I knew as long as I had Blaine, there would always be a light shining through it to the blue sky behind.

"Don't worry about it – everyone's going to love you." He said, smiling, but moving his hand away from me to rest in his lap. It was just a shame that shining light wasn't as hopelessly in love with me as I was with him.

* * *

"Well, that's everything." Carole passed the last box over to Dad, who lugged it out of the front door towards the car. I hadn't been allowed to go outside for some reason, so had spent the majority of the packing time twirling my Pashmina scarf around my fingers – the movement mirroring the churning of my stomach.

"Oh Kurt," she continued sadly, putting both hands on my shoulders, "I feel like we've only just got to know each other and already you're being taken away from me." She pulled me into a hug and I obliged awkwardly, not really knowing what to say. The guilt over Dad and Carole postponing their honeymoon to pay for my tuition fees still weighed on me – the fact they both seemed so fine with it making things even worse. We were doing what Blaine had warned me not to do – running away – but I could see no other option.

When we finished our hug I noticed that Dad and Finn had returned from the car. Finn's cheeks were flushed pink from the heavy lifting and his attempt to hide his deep breathing made me smile.

"So, son." Dad announced, clapping me on the shoulder. "It's time to go." I swallowed. This was the part I'd been dreading.

"_But_, not before some people you know say their goodbyes!" Carole pointed towards the open door and suddenly the rest of New Directions appeared from various hiding places around our garden. So _that_ was why I hadn't been allowed outside!

"KURT!" Tina and Mercedes reached me first, engulfing me in a hug that was so powerful I nearly toppled over. Next were Quinn and Sam – Puck slapped me on the shoulder and Artie, Santana and Brittany brought up the rear. Whilst everyone fawned over me I noticed Finn standing at the back, grinning proudly, and figured he must have been the one that had organised this – the lump in my throat growing further. Come on Kurt – you _promised_ yourself you wouldn't cry…

"I can't believe you're not going to be here anymore!" Tina exclaimed sadly.

"You have to write to us every day and come visit whenever you can." I shot Mercedes a look that said 'as if I wasn't going to do that already' and she laughed.

"I am going to miss you guys SO MUCH!" Everyone awwed, giving me another hug and suddenly the tears couldn't be held in any longer, slowly trickling down my face and into people's hair.

"We'll miss you too Kurt. New Directions won't be the same without you."

"Well – you've still got Rachel." I replied, trying to lighten the mood. Everyone laughed but I paused, looking around in confusion. "Where _is_ Rachel?"

"I thought it would be appropriate for me to sing you out, so I am." A voice sounded from behind the crowd and everyone parted to reveal Rachel standing in the drive, Mike beside her. Out of everyone, I knew she was the one that viewed my transfer with the most concern, as I would most likely join The Warblers and therefore compete against McKinley at sectionals, but it was nice to see she had made an effort all the same.

"Right, final goodbyes guys, we need to get Kurt away to show these Dalton kids what _real_ students are like!" Everyone lined up to give me one final hug, Mercedes holding on so tight I thought she might never let go and eventually I was released in front of the car. Finn opened up the back door for me, walking round to the other side as I got in and Carole and Dad occupied the front. As we reversed out of the drive, Rachel booming out 'So Long, Farewell' from the Sound of Music and Mike moon-walking around her, I sighed. This was finally it. Goodbye bedroom, goodbye house, goodbye Lima.

**Hello Dalton.**


	2. Wilde

**Chapter 2 - Wilde**

Somehow, even with three other people and a carload of stuff, the outside of Dalton seemed much bigger than when I'd last seen it. Much bigger and much more scary. When we'd pulled up Dad had raised his eyebrows and let out a long whistle.

"Well, at least we know our money was well spent."

As I lugged my case up one of the stone steps leading to the reception I caught my first glimpse of some students – a big group of them exiting from a classroom in a flurry of chatter and shouts. The smart blue and red uniforms seemed to blend together, apart from the distinctive Dalton crest, which stood out on every boy. Were they my classmates? I had no way of telling. Turning around I saw that everyone else had caught up and we went through into the main reception – the sounds of the excited class fading away into the distance.

* * *

I was surprised to see the receptionist was female – I don't know why but I'd expected the whole school to be male only. The sight of her smile brought comfort to me however, and I thanked the school that this wasn't true.

"Hello." She chimed brightly when we reached the desk. Her hair was long and chocolate brown, falling down in waves that could only have been created with a good quality curling iron. She was also wearing an exquisite knitted dress, teamed with a crisp white shirt underneath. If it was allowed, I was going to have serious fashion conversations with her over coffee.

"Kurt Hummel is it?" She continued, looking briefly at her computer screen. I nodded timidly, not really knowing what to say.

"Excellent. Welcome to Dalton."

"Very impressive building you've got here." Dad enquired in the gruff manly voice he saved for important occasions. Oh Gaga, please don't let him pull the 'embarrassing father' act – I wanted to make a good first impression.

"Yes, only the best for our students," the receptionist replied, flashing another delightful smile. I wondered if any of the other new Dalton students had been taken under her spell during their first few moments – I was gay and already found her fascinating.

"So…" Returning to her computer and tapping a few keys she brought up my details.

"You will be boarding in Wilde house in room nineteen. Your roommate is called Artem – he's another relatively new student that's just moved here from Russia, seems like a nice boy." My heart sank a little as Blaine's words came true, but I guess a Russian was more interesting than it could have been. As long as his English was good.

"I would offer to help with your things, but it seems you already have that covered." Releasing another smile the receptionist signalled behind me and I turned to see Finn's ears burning, his hands struggling to keep a grip on my other suitcase. Jeez dude – you have a girlfriend…

"Just follow the signs to Wilde and somebody will meet you there to take you to your room." I mumbled a thank you, trying not to laugh at Finn's obvious infatuation and turned to follow the first sign pointing left with 'Wilde' written on it in big fancy letters.

* * *

Just like inside, the grounds of Dalton were beautiful. Immaculately trimmed rose bushes and apple trees framed the walkways and quaint little benches sat amongst pristine flowerbeds and lawns. It was hard to imagine boys anywhere near these things – the only ones I knew would have destroyed the tranquillity and order within seconds. Following the signs we twisted through paradise until we reached a large white building with gilded windows and a slate roof. A tall attractive Dalton student who looked like a senior stood at the entrance, next to a plaque with the words 'Wilde House' and a picture of the Oscar it was named after on it.

"Hello Kurt." He said to me with a smile once we reached him, catching me slightly off guard, "I'm Nathanial, Head Boy for Wilde House." He held out his hand and for a couple of seconds I just stared at it, slightly overwhelmed, before eventually raising mine. He had a very strong handshake.

"Good morning Mr and Mrs Hummel." As Dad and Carole approached Nathanial greeted them too – I could see the excited looks on their faces as they heard their married status repeated to them once more. "And you must be…?"

""Finn. Kurt's brother." I smiled as they too shook hands, noting the fact that the word 'step' hadn't been used. Really, it felt stupid to be leaving my family just as everything had become perfect again. But I suppose they would always be there to come back home to.

"Right," Nathanial stated, rubbing his hands together once everybody had become acquainted, "if you leave Kurt's things here I'll give you a tour of the downstairs before showing him his room." Following his gesture to a space just inside the main doors we deposited my luggage and then convoyed after him down the main corridor.

* * *

You could tell the building was newer than the main part of Dalton, but the walls had been designed in the same way. In between more pictures and quotes from Oscar Wilde there were also awards people in the house had earned, along with plaques stating all the previous Head Boys and sports captains. (Nathaniel's name was on many of these – his surname Archibald.) We took a couple of paces down the hall before being stopped by a tall wooden door.

"This is the main cloakroom, where all your outdoor things are temporarily stored." Nathaniel stated. He pushed open the door for us to glance inside and I saw rows and rows of pegs with shelves for shoes underneath – rather like a primary school.

"Along here we have the kitchen." A few more paces down the corridor and we were taken into a room filled with titanium – titanium surfaces, titanium cupboards, titanium kettles.

"Of course, meals are provided in the main canteen for those that require them," Nathaniel added, "but the kitchen also offers the opportunity for those more experienced with cooking." I ignored the three glances all directed my way, instead admiring how spotless everything seemed. Either they had a regular cleaner here, or the room was barely used.

"There are a couple of boarding rooms downstairs for students that need easy access, but the only other room here is the common room." Now my stomach began to feel queasy. There would probably be students in this room – my housemates. Finn pushed me forward out of the kitchen and we walked back towards our things, stopping just before by a pair of double doors. Here goes…

As soon as the doors opened we were instantly met with a blast of heat – a roaring fire burned behind the grate in the centre of the back wall and filled the room with warmth and light. The interior was quite old fashioned, wing-backed chairs, antique rugs, yet more paintings and pictures adorning the walls – but far from making the room look regal and imposing, it only seemed to add to the charm. There were six other boys in the room. Three were perched by the fire playing some kind of card game, one sat in a wing-back reading the paper, one was picking out a book from the huge cases that lay either side of the fireplace and one was tinkling a tune on the grand piano next to the window. At our entry they all turned to look, their expressions inquisitive.

"Guys, this is Kurt Hummel and his family. He'll be a Wilde from now on." Filled with a sudden shyness I raised my hand in greeting, not really knowing where to look. The other stared at me for a moment, before smiling and waving back happily. Well, this wasn't so bad. As long as they weren't playing some kind of cruel game, (something I had seen too many times between McKinley girls) it looked like hopefully I would make a few friends here.

* * *

After exiting the common room with a new sense of optimism and returning to my things (which I noticed, had not been touched, despite their position. I loved this place already) we all began to re-gather and make an ascent up the white stairs. Nathaniel insisted on taking Carole's suitcase for her, something that made her visibly blush and prompted Dad to pile another bag on top of his load. When we reached the top of the stairs you could see most of the Dalton campus put of the large windows. Along with the main buildings and gardens there were three other houses, all a similar white colour, but with architectural differences that singled them out as individual structures. A brisk wind had picked up outside, making the nearby trees sway and brush against each other, and I was glad to be warm inside.

"These are the main quarters for Wilde students." Nathaniel began, gently placing down my suitcase so he could point out various places. "Freshman rooms are at the front of the corridor, followed by sophomore, junior and then senior. The Head Boy has his own room at the end of the corridor but also has a private study room in the centre in order to be able to keep an eye on everything that goes on within the house." Inwardly I gulped, wondering if we would have role calls every morning and room inspections. "The bathrooms are situated in the middle on the right and you are allowed a maximum of fifteen minutes shower time in order to avoid congestion."

"Woah, sounds pretty strict round here." Dad commented. He was staring down the corridor with a mixture of awe and apprehension across his face. Nathaniel smiled.

"On the contrary Mr Hummel – house rules are applied only to ensure that everybody is treated equally and no disputes occur. It is very rare that we have to reprimand students and privileges are often offered out to the well behaved."

"What, like twenty minute showers?" I hadn't meant my thoughts to be spoken out loud, my tone incredulous, so immediately slapped a hand over my mouth. Nathaniel laughed.

"No, more like off campus trips and extended curfew hours. Some students have even been allowed their significant others to stay for the weekend." Again I felt eyes on me, making my cheeks flush and my palms become sweaty. Well, I wouldn't be needing that privilege any time soon.

"Anyhow, let's get you to your room. Number nineteen?" I nodded briskly and everyone picked up their things again, making their way down the corridor. I noticed that on every door, as well as the room number, there was also a plaque with the names of the students living there on. For all the Freshman, Sophomore and Junior doors we passed, there were two names, however I noticed all the Seniors' further down only had one.

"Here we are." Suddenly we stopped, the action catching me by surprise so I nearly crashed into Nathaniel. Steadying myself I turned to the left and came face to face with a number nineteen. Above it, the names A. Chigvensky and K. Hummel. Gulp.

"Artem only moved here two weeks ago," Nathaniel stated, looking only at me, "he's found it quite hard adjusting but his English is great. We're thinking of trying to get him involved in a few house events soon." Oh great. I hadn't even met the guy and already I was being roped in to helping him settle.

"Sounds cool," I gulped, trying to disguise the nerves in my voice. Abruptly Nathaniel turned and rapped sharply three times on the door, making everyone jump. There was silence, the sound of rummaging and footsteps, and then the door opened.

* * *

Immediately my eyes widened in surprise. I don't know what I'd been expecting – bearskin hats, a bottle of vodka in his hand, some ridiculous moustache – Artem wasn't any of the typical Russian stereotypes. He did have a strong European build with muscles to rival Sam's, but his skin was tanned and he had short, curly brown hair.

"Heello Nathaniel" he said with a smile, greeting the Head Boy. The accent was definitely there, but his English was perfect.

"Hey Artem," Nathaniel replied, the most casual I'd heard him sound since we'd met. "This is Kurt." Immediately Artem's gaze fixed on me. His eyes were blue, something that surprised me, and for a second his forehead furrowed, bushy brown eyebrows almost joining together. However less than a second later he smiled, his whole face lighting up again, and held out his hand.

"Heello Kurt. I am very pleased to meet you." I met his hand with mine, relief flowing me and he shook it vigorously, making everyone around us laugh. Artem joined in too, his loud booming guffaw echoing around the corridor, before suddenly he wrenched the door fully open and pointed inside.

"This is our room." It was a decent sized room, almost symmetrical in it's layout – two single beds against either wall and a bedside table for each. There were also two desks and plenty of shelves to store books and other things. Artem's side of the room was already full with trinkets and gadgets – a had large poster with something written in Russian on and, interestingly, a fencing sabre resting by his bed. My side however, was completely empty.

"This is your side," Artem mentioned, as if I hadn't noticed and I nodded my head smiling.

"Pretty spacious in here," Dad commented, approval in his voice. Finn immediately rushed over to the sabre, which I presumed he thought was some kind of sword, and I slowly paced towards one of the large windows that let light into the room. As the last house of the four, the view looked out over the rest of the grounds, stretching out to what seemed like infinity – football pitches, tennis courts, more gardens…

"Hey," I suddenly chimed, spinning round so everyone stopped to look at me, "where are the closets?" Grinning, Nathaniel opened a door that I hadn't seen to reveal a large shared walk-in wardrobe. Yup, this definitely felt like home.


	3. Gathering

**Chapter 3 - Gathering**

The sound of knocking filled the room. Three short taps. It must be a Dalton thing.

I looked up from my sock drawer, which I'd been meticulously ordering. Artem didn't budge, still engrossed in the fashion magazine I'd given him. (Apparently in Russia the idea of pleats hadn't quite reached them yet. I knew he definitely wasn't gay, but the plethora of new things the magazine offered had made his grasp it with a fascinated expression when I'd produced it from my bag. Already I felt we were firm friends.) I sighed and got to my feet. It was probably for me anyway – another Wilde resident offering their welcome. So far I'd met a JJ, a Timothy, a Brad and a Tareem – most of them in the year below. (I was set to meet everyone else at the house gathering tonight.) Calling out a 'coming!' so the person on the other side wouldn't begin to get impatient I waltzed across the room and opened the door. Immediately my face broke into a surprised smile.

"Blaine!"

I gazed in admiration at the figure in front of me, leaning casually against the doorframe, one side of his open blazer dropping outwards to reveal the crisp white shirt underneath, ironed to perfection.

"Wassup." Blaine grinned, the motion showing off his pearly white teeth. I wasn't sure whether or not to hug him, so just stood there smiling like an idiot until he pulled me into one himself.

"You made it!" He exclaimed into my shoulder. I smiled, trying not to get distracted by the gorgeous smell he was emitting – if I wasn't mistaken it was new cologne.

"Yes, I did."

"How does it feel to be a Dalton student?" Blaine asked once we'd separated. He'd kept one hand on my shoulder and I fought to keep my cheeks pale feeling the touch of it.

"Um, it's strange. But everyone is really nice – I think Dad and Carole wanted to stay here." For a second I cringed, remembering the long manly conversation Dad had engaged in with Nathaniel whilst we'd unpacked, and how Carole had told me to 'go for it' with a wink when he'd left. I'd had to practically push them out of the house.

"Awesome. Well – on behalf of Wordsworth House I can officially say welcome." Blaine bent forward, twirling his hand like he as addressing a king. Of course. I'd totally forgotten he wasn't a Wilde. In fact, with so many other things on my mind, I'd almost forgotten about Blaine altogether – something I never thought I would do.

"I tried like mad to get you with us, but the houses have to be equal and… Well, there are some things even a Head Boy can't do." I smiled in response to his grin, but my eyes moved to look at the badge pinned to his lapel. Blaine was Head Boy for Wordsworth and therefore a senior – another thing that meant we probably wouldn't get to see a lot of each other during school hours.

"It's ok. I like it here."

"Well I can assure you – Wordsworth is _much_ better." I laughed, giving him a playful shove and he grinned again.

"Hey, are you busy at the moment? I can give you a tour of the grounds if you want." My head turned back to the room, eyes glancing at the unfinished sock drawer.

"Um, yeah sure. I mean yeah, I'm not busy." My cheeks flushed pink as I fumbled my words and Blaine laughed for the umpteenth time, the sound still making me tingle.

"Awesome. Let's go!" He went to shut the door but I suddenly stopped him, remembering Artem.

"Wait one second, you have to meet my roomy." I dragged Blaine into the room with me and looked at Artem.

"Artem?" Slowly he glanced up from the magazine, obviously reluctant to stop reading about animal print. "This is my friend Blaine. Blaine this is my roommate Artem."

"Heello Blaine." Artem said happily, waving as he had done to Nathaniel. I shot Blaine a look and he waved back, looking like he was trying to suppress laughter.

"We're just going for a walk round the grounds, do you want to come?" I realised as soon as I'd asked it that the question was pointless – there was no way Artem was leaving unless he could bring the magazine with him. Nevertheless, he was still very polite in his decline.

"Ok, see you later then."

"Bye Kurt."

* * *

When I shut the door behind us Blaine immediately burst into high pitched giggles, making me slap him hard on the shoulder.

"_Blaine!_"

"I'm sorry!" He replied, still laughing, "he's just funny!"

"There is nothing funny about being Russian."

"I know, I know. But you can't deny that accent. And what's with the Vogue magazine? Is he gay?"

"No. He just finds American fashion interesting, that's all." There was a pause, before Blaine burst into laughter again and I had to drag him away before anybody else came out to see what the commotion was.

* * *

Once we were outside, the cold wind I'd seen through the window before whipped at my hair and I regretted not grabbing a thicker jacket. Blaine saw my shiver and immediately offered me his, but I declined – not wanting to have to cope with his smell around me constantly. At least with the wind the sweet deliciousness sometimes drifted in the other direction and I could breathe safely without risking a heart attack.

"Sooo…" Blaine began, gesturing to our surroundings, "this is Dalton." I looked back at the four white buildings, all very impressive against the autumn backdrop.

"I gather Nathaniel filled you in on all the rules for your house." For a second my head jerked back to Blaine in confusion, wondering how he could know the head of Wilde, before remembering his Head Boy status. Obviously the two were well acquainted.

"Industrious guy that one – loves his rules and regulations." I shot him a glance and he raised his hands in protest. "What? He has half the gay contingent of Wordsworth pining after him, but he's so busy organising shower rotas he doesn't even notice!" My cheeks flushed as I remembered what Carole had said to me earlier and briefly concern flashed across Blaine's expression, before disappearing like a trick of the wind.

"Well anyway, he'll have filled you in on all of that, but did he tell you anything about the other houses?" I shook my head and he rubbed his hands together, excited that he now got to tell me a story.

"Well…" We walked over to a bench that overlooked the houses and sat down simultaneously. I noticed Blaine put his arm round me to keep me warm and had to stop myself from sighing. "Dalton is split up into four houses – Wilde, Wordsworth, Darwin and Dahl – all named after famous English writers. Originally there were only two – Darwin and Wordsworth, but when the school expanded they had to create the other two to be able to house everyone. As you can probably guess, the W houses and the D houses compete against each other in whole school tournaments such as fencing and football – and the winner of these gets to represent Dalton against other schools. Each individual house however still competes themselves to win the House Cup, which is a bit like in Harry Potter." I grinned at the reference to Blaine's favourite set of films, but he ignored me, engrossed in his story. "Because it's the oldest house, Darwin students are generally a bit prim and proper, whereas Dahl students are normally the most mischievous. Wordsworth and Wilde get the honour of being decidedly normal, although we do tend to end up with the most eventual Warblers out of all the houses. I guess you were put in Wilde to even up the numbers, but also so Nathaniel had somebody else to show around." He grinned as I tutted again, squeezing my shoulder with his hand so I suddenly coughed. As Blaine's eyes flashed to mine I panicked, but luckily managed to disguise the outburst as clearing my throat.

"Sounds, um, very interesting." I mumbled, wanting to divert attention back to our conversation as quickly as possible. Blaine took the bait.

"Oh yeah, Dalton definitely has a couple of surprises up its sleeve. You've got all that to come my friend, all that…"

For the next hour or so we sat together just talking, discussing events that went on in Dalton and the things that had happened to disrupt them in the past. After a while the wind didn't seem so cold against my skin, although I kept my position snuggled up against Blaine's warm torso the whole time. I hadn't had a conversation like this with anyone for a long time – it was nice. However, it couldn't last, a glance at Blaine's watch showed me I had less than half an hour to get ready for the Wilde house gathering so I quickly made my goodbyes (to his obvious disappointment, the sight of this making me go all fuzzy inside) and scooted back to room nineteen.

* * *

When I opened the door I was immediately met with chaos. Artem was jumping around the room, waving his fencing sabre in a very worrying manner. He'd obviously jumped on my bed too, and as a result the piles of socks I'd neatly lined up were now scattered across the floor.

"ARTEM!" I shrieked. Immediately he froze, his head flashing my way as he finally realised my presence. "What-?" I couldn't finish my sentence.

"I wanted to get practice in. Sorreey." Glancing at his worried expression the horror across my face gradually faded to be replaced with sympathy.

"That's ok. But we do have a special building for that here." Well – I assumed we did. Artem sheepishly sheathed his sabre as I bent down to begin picking up my socks and I found myself smiling. Trust me to get the crazy-but-somehow-incredibly-adorable roommate.

"Are you ready for the house gathering?" I asked when everything had been restored to order. Artem looked at me blankly. "You know, when we all go downstairs to socialise?" Still nothing. "We…" I pointed to the both of us, "go downstairs…" my fingers pretended to descend imaginary stairs, "to say hi to everyone…" For a second there was silence, then Artem's face lit up.

"Yes!" He exclaimed happily, "yes I am ready!" Sheesh. This was going to be a long term.

* * *

When we descended the stairs we could hear the bubbling noise of a party already in full swing. Apparently Artem didn't understand the concept of being fashionably late, but I did, so we didn't rush. Standing in front of the double doors again I was re-filled with the hundreds of butterflies, but pushed them aside. You were fine Kurt, totally fine. The people had been nice before – everyone was going to like you.

I pushed open the doors with as much gusto as I could manage and waltzed into the room like it was New York fashion week.

Immediately everything stopped.

There were about fifty boarders in Wilde, so the room was pretty packed. Somebody had brought down their speakers so Vampire Weekend were pumping out and there were bowls of crisps and other snack foods dotted around the various coffee tables. To be honest, it seemed weird to have such a young party in such an old room. With everyone turning to see who had entered it felt like the scene had been paused, but with the sound still playing and suddenly with all the eyes on me my confidence wavered. Perhaps they weren't used to extroverts.

"Hey Kurt!" Suddenly everyone's gaze switched, like a Mexican wave. My eyes joined them and were filled with immense relief when they met Nathaniel's. He was standing by the speakers, so I guessed he had chosen the music. If what Blaine said was true then he had probably set up everything else too.

"You guys know Kurt right?" I watched the Head Boy glance around the room to the people that had met me previously during our tour. All of them nodded, smiles now beginning to spring up.

"Well, this is our newest Wilde recruit! Let's all show him our appreciation and welcome him into the family." Suddenly from out of nowhere everyone seemed to have glasses, filled with what looked like orange juice. Hands raised simultaneously in the air and a cry of

"Cheers!" Rang out. In a weird way, it was quite moving. Once everybody had taken a sip, chatter began bubbling up again and the party returned to normal. Glancing across at Artem I saw him staring around in wonder – I guessed he had had a similar greeting but still found it hard to adjust to Dalton customs.

"Come on, let's go _socialise_." I said, slipping my arm through his and emphasising the new word I had just taught him half an hour earlier. He grinned happily.

"Soceealise."

* * *

The first group of people we headed to seemed to be talking about history, which was a good start as I was taking the subject.

"Hi." I said, my voice somehow more confident now that I knew I had Artem to guide too.

"Oh, hi." The three boys were all very diverse in their looks – one was tall and slender with a skin tone that suggested he was Hawaiian, one had ginger hair and freckles dotted neatly about his face and the other was an all-American well built blonde.

"I'm Steven," the Hawaiian and seemingly the leader of the group said, holding out his hand which I duly shook. "This is Connor and this is Wade." Once again, I shook hands with the other two and they smiled welcomingly.

"How are you finding Dalton so far?" Connor asked. His accent was definitely Irish.

"Yeah, it's great. Everyone is very friendly." I blushed as I realised I was repeating the same thing I'd said to Blaine earlier in the day. "It's been a lot easier than I thought it'd be to be honest."

"That's one of the best things about Dalton I think – everyone's so accepting." Wade smiled and I returned it, admiring his strong jaw line, before a movement on my arm made me remember my other job.

"Oh! Sorry, this is Artem." Annoyed with myself for forgetting I signalled to my roommate, who still looked pretty uncomfortable.

"Hey Artem." Three voices chorused. The Russian looked surprised to be the centre of attention.

"Heello." He replied, making me smile.

"He's my roommate." I explained, answering their questioning looks towards our linked arms. "Nathaniel said he was having a bit of trouble adjusting." With the mention of Nathaniel knowing glances were exchanged between the boys.

"He never stops you know, getting everyone involved." Steven joked to Wade, who smiled in agreement. "Wilde has to be one big happy family." It seemed Blaine was not alone in his opinion.

"I think he's really nice." I commented, wanting to defend the guy who had made my transition so easy.

"Oh yeah, we're not saying he's not grand," Connor replied, "he's probably the best Head Boy we've had for a while. It's just funny seeing how he runs everything like clockwork, that's all."

"I've been tempted _so_ many times to go and mess up one of his rotas, or take a long shower or something – just to see him freak out." Wade added with a smile and everyone laughed, including Artem. Somehow his laugh always seemed to stand out and seem odd – mainly because we all knew he was probably just laughing to keep up with everyone else.

"Hey, I heard you guys talking about the Celts earlier – are you all doing history?" My change of subject was greeted with open arms and immediately historical terms started being thrown around everywhere, most definitely excluding Artem again. I felt bad but suddenly he noticed somebody from across the room and broke free of my hold to investigate. As I watched him traverse the space, feeling for all the world like a proud parent, my eyes met with somebody elses - a boy standing across the other side of the room staring at me. For a second surprise crossed my face. The other boy stayed staring, his eyes strange and searching and I went to say something, before suddenly Wade asked me a question - forcing my head to turn around and return to the conversation, leaving the stares of the other boy behind.


	4. Scott

**Chapter 4 - Scott**

My alarm rang sharply at 8am – jolting me awake so I shot upright and temporarily forgot where I was. To my surprise Artem was already up and fully dressed, leafing yet again through the pages of Vogue (I swear that magazine wasn't going to last a week if he continued to abuse it with such constant use)

"Heello Kurt." He said with a smile, before looking back down again. I rubbed my face with my hand vigorously to try and wake myself up and patted down what felt like horrific bed hair.

* * *

The strong jet of the shower was a welcome feeling, especially when the temperature was turned up to almost scalding. I only had five minutes of washing time left (Nathaniel had kindly provided timers for each shower cubicle) but I was determined to stay where I was right up until the last second. Today was a big day – my first lessons at Dalton. I knew I would probably be a little behind everybody else, although my advanced work in Trig and Spanish would help to ease the load, but hopefully everyone would continue to be as nice as they had been and I would fit in perfectly. _Fit in._ That was a phrase I'd never thought about before.

* * *

Artem and I walked up to the main building together, but he had Biology to go to, so we parted ways once we'd walked through the huge entrance doors. For some reason I felt like my safety blanket had been taken away and my footsteps quickened as I paced down the corridor towards the Trig classroom.

The room was immaculate, just like the neatly organised timetable I was clutching in my hand, just like the students that I passed to walk inside. There were identical tables placed in rows with identical seats tucked into them, but surprisingly there didn't seem to be any kind of seating plan – we could sit where we wanted.

This in itself posed an awkward question – where did I sit? Glancing around the room I couldn't see anybody I recognised from Wilde, although there weren't that many students in the room yet. I wasn't sure of the etiquette rules of a boy's school for sitting at the front or back either. (At McKinley the Rachel's sat at the front and the Santana's sat at the back, pretty self-explanatory.) My brain ran through the possibilities frantically, before I was suddenly halted in my thoughts by the feeling of something crashing into my back. The brand new books I'd been clutching to my chest made a spectacular arc across the room and I felt my body slowly losing balance to thud down on the floor at about the same time.

"Oh crap! Sorry!" The next sound I heard was cursing of a boy behind me, probably the one that had hit me. For a split second I thought about not getting up, but was once again prevented from progressing any further as hands roughly grabbed my shoulders to haul me to my feet.

"I am such a douche bag, sorry mate." Turning round I finally came face to face with my attacker. He was mid height, just a couple of inches taller than me, with a fairly athletic build and plenty of scratches and scars on the parts of his body that were visible. His hair was strawberry blonde, curt short rather like he'd been on leave for a couple of months from the army. He also had quite large ears that stuck out from his face, but rather than make him look stupid, only seemed to somehow make him more endearing. Endearing up until the point when he opened his mouth.

"Thought I was going to be bloody late again, and Conners has been breathing down my neck for months- oh." Suddenly the boy stopped, finally registering that I was somebody he hadn't seen before. I wondered if he apologised a lot, and if it was with the same eloquence every time.

"You're new." The statement made me laugh, shocked but at the same time fascinated by his straightforward attitude. "Are you like _new_ new or just new to Trig, because I move classes all the time so I never get to meet everyone."

"I'm _new_ new. Kurt." Somehow through our brief exchange my nerves had disaparated and I held out my hand, smiling.

'Scott." We shook hands, my arm feeling like it was being yanked out of its socket (I wondered it anybody had ever been sent to hospital through a hand shaking injury – the amount everybody did it here I was surprised they didn't all have humungous biceps) and Scott grinned, before glancing behind me and smacking his palm to his forehead violently.

"Oh crap. Your books." Scooting past me he bent down to scoop up the remains of my textbooks and stationary, splayed across the classroom floor like modern art. As he lifted up a book with some of the pages bent back he smacked his head again.

"God, these are bloody new as well! I'll pay for them, you can have mine-" He delved into the bag slung across his shoulder, pulling out an identical textbook that was considerably more battered and bruised than mine, before quickly returning it again, "-I'll buy you new ones…"

"It's ok, seriously," I replied, hurrying over before he could say or do anything else, "but _please_ stop hitting yourself." Scott flashed his head up, confusion crossing his expression for a brief second, before he grinned again.

"Sorry. It's what I do."

"Yeah, I know," I really did. I'd only known this guy for less than five minutes and already it felt like we'd been classmates for years.

"I bet you think I'm a right idiot." Scott remarked as he got back up to his feet, plonking my things in my outstretched hands. I chuckled.

"No, not at all. You're the first person to pay any attention to me in this classroom – even if it was through ramming me in the back." I watched the smile return back to his face and he strolled over to the still empty back row.

"You wanna sit?" I nodded, only just able to disguise the flush of pleasure that ran through me, and put my books down on the immaculate table next to Scott's. I guess I was Santana then.

* * *

Gradually people began to file into the classroom as Scott and I chatted about various things, like why he was always late and how a couple of the Dahl boys had taken to playing pranks on him at football practice. When Mr Conners finally entered the vicinity however, everybody sat up, the room suddenly silent.

"Morning boys." He said plainly. He was a rather proper looking man, with a thinning hairline, fifties style clothing and thick rimmed glasses. He reminded me of one of the Trig teachers at McKinley, but a slightly classier version.

"How are you all today?" I guessed it was a rhetorical question, as none of the boys answered. I watched him place a briefcase on the front desk, straighten his tie and pat back his hair, before his eyes suddenly began searching the students. He wound through everyone until finally he reached me, and recognition flew into his expression.

"Ah, here is our new student." Everyone turned to look at me, all of the Wilde's flashing me friendly grins and I gave a little wave, sending a few titters around the classroom.

"Welcome Kurt." Mr Conners smiled at me, before his expression darkened slightly after glancing to the person next to me.

"And I see Mr Macleod has finally decided to turn up on time." I turned to see Scott grinning, completely unperturbed by the glare being sent his way.

"Only for you sir." He saluted and I had to stop myself from snorting, not wanting to make a bad first impression. Well – worse than the one I was already making by sitting next to him.

"Everybody turn to page forty-seven of your Core books please." There was a rustle of pages as everyone leafed through their texts and I brought mine out, smiling at the new crease in the first few pages.

* * *

When the clock struck eleven everyone was up like a flash, slipping their things neatly into their bags and exiting the classroom chatting excitedly. Scott and I packed up more slowly, me glancing up at Mr Conners to see if he'd finished grading some of the tests he'd been given ten minutes earlier. When he put down his pen I went over.

"Good work today Hummel." He said, somehow still managing to look down through his glasses even though he was sitting. "You're a bit behind on some topics, but nothing a few of these won't solve." His hand moved to pick up a pile of worksheets, which he offered to me with a smile and I took them as thankfully as I could. Oh well, at least he hadn't written me off completely.

"I would think _carefully_ about the people you socialise with in this class however." My eyes followed his glance to Scott, who was kicking the open classroom door with the tips of his shoes as he waited, humming something under his breath. As if to emphasise the warning, he accidentally caught his foot and shouted out another curse, making me bite my lip for the umpteenth time.

"Of course sir, I will." I took the sheets from Mr Conners and walked back over to my unruly new friend.

"More work eh?" Scott asked when I reached him. I shrugged my shoulders and he shot an angry glare at Mr Conners, who thankfully was too engrossed in his computer to notice. "Conners is such a douchebag."

"What do you have next?" I asked to change the subject, glancing down at my printed timetable again. The word 'Spanish' stood in the box next to 'Trig', with a classroom number and some initials I guessed were the teacher's name. "I have Spanish." Immediately Scott jumped in the air, almost causing me to drop my books yet again.

"Me too! Oh sweet!" He held his hand up for a high five and I obliged with caution, wincing as our palms collided with ridiculous force once more.

"Let's go dude."

* * *

I sailed through Spanish with very few problems, apart from Scott making me laugh constantly. His Spanish was almost perfect, but he liked to mispronounce words to make the teacher, a tiny mousy little lady called Miss Breamhold, become worked up and begin to fumble her own speech – something that delighted me and the rest of the class.

* * *

When we returned to the busy corridor again after two hours I glanced at my watch, noting the time with excitement. Blaine and I had arranged to meet for lunch and the hour was only several minutes away. I turned to wait for Scott, who had been receiving a stern but not really very powerful lecture from Miss Breamhold and he came into view, still sporting his trademark grin from ear to ear.

"So," He began before I could even get a word in edgeways, "wanna get lunch?" The question surprised me – I knew we were friends in class, but hadn't really expected the partnership would stretch over to free time.

"Really?" Scott looked at me like he didn't understand.

"Yeah. I dunno about you, but I need to eat to keep this perfect body of mine functioning." He laughed, patting his stomach and I joined in nervously, before shaking myself to get back to the reality of the situation.

"Um, I'd love to – but I already said I'd meet with a friend." I said as apologetically as I could. He tried to disguise it, but I saw the slight drop in Scott's expression. It was a drop that had graced my face so many times after so many rejections, from people I thought were my friends.

"Hey, no sweat. I'll see you later then." He abruptly turned to leave, his nonchalance wavering every so slightly, but suddenly my hand shot out, grabbing his shoulder so he stopped and spun back round again.

"You can come too!" I exclaimed, probably a little too eagerly, "if you want…" Immediately Scott's face lit up again, his hand swooping down to clap me on the shoulder so I almost fell over.

"You are one awesome dude Kurt. Thanks." For that split second, I felt like one too.


	5. Lunch

**Chapter 5 - Lunch**

As we approached the senior common room I suddenly began to feel butterflies building in my stomach, flitting around like my increasing heartbeat. When Scott noticed where we were heading he let out a long whistle.

"You're friend's a senior? Go Kurt." We reached the entrance and I almost paused by the doorway, the feeling that we were entering hallowed ground slightly disconcerting, but gave my shoulders a quick shake and stepped inside. The common room was similar to most of the other rooms in the building, but the huge floor length windows filled the area with light and somehow added another dimension of class to it. You had to be powerful to belong in this room. Looking briefly behind to check if Scott was still following I began my avid search for Blaine, scanning the well dressed boys with an embarrassing urgency. When I finally spotted him, sitting in a wing-backed chair talking to another student my heart leapt and I quickly began to walk over. I was going to call out or do something equally lame, but was suddenly halted by a hand on my arm.

"Wait, you're friends with _Blaine Anderson_?" Scott's expression was incredulous. I nodded, confusion on my face.

"Yeah – how do you know him?"

"_Wordsworth._" His hands swept across his torso outlining the slight difference in our ties that I hadn't noticed before, but before I could comment the sound of another voice snapped my attention back round.

"Kurt!" Blaine had stood up, his eyes filled with happiness and I practically bounded over, not really caring if Scott was following. By the time I reached him Blaine's arms were already open and I fell into the embrace gratefully, still marvelling at how the feeling of his warm body against mine knocked me for six every time.

"Hey Blaine," I muttered into his shoulder, making him laugh. We pulled apart and for a second our eyes held contact in a way that made me melt, but the magic quickly evaporated as he glanced upwards.

"Wassup Blainey-oh?" Scott had appeared, the grin back on his face and the way he addressed his Head Boy almost made me laugh again.

"Um, Blaine, this is-"

"-I know. Afternoon Scott." The expression on Blaine's face had been replaced with one of annoyance, something that my new friend either didn't notice or didn't care about.

"You and Kurt eh? Well this is a turn-up for the books." As he sat down I felt my face flush bright red and shot Scott a warning glance. "How do you two know each other?"

"Kurt tried to spy on the Warblers when he was at his old school, but we became friends after that." Far from the happy and somewhat proud way he normally told the story, the tone in Blaine's voice sounded rather like he was speaking to a ten year old. Scott's eyebrows raised.

"Kurt? A spy?"

"I was awful – I'm not surprised I got caught." I interrupted, trying to alleviate the mood. Blaine and I both sat down, avoiding Scott's feet, which were now resting on the antique looking coffee table our chairs were placed round and I gave him an apologetic smile, which he thankfully returned.

* * *

"Where are Wes and David?" I asked, eager to change the topic of conversation. Blaine leant back into his chair.

"Um, Wes is off having some emergency phone call with Carmen and David…David's probably telling him what to say." We both smiled, but our moment was interrupted once again by a loud sigh.

"Girls eh…?" Turning to Scott we both flashed him incredulous glances. For a second he stared back confused, before the realisation finally hit.

"Wait – you're gay too?" I wondered whether the question even deserved a response.

"Couldn't you _tell_?" Waving my hand around my face pointedly I heard Blaine laugh behind me. Scott shrugged.

"Nah – I just thought you were a cool guy. Now I guess you're just a cool _gay_ guy." A quiet noise of surprise escaped from my lips. I suppose that reaction was what I wanted. It was probably the calmest one I'd ever had.

"So, how have your first few days gone?" Switching my attention back to Blaine, who had crossed his legs to reveal gorgeous argyle socks beneath his smart grey trousers, I cocked my head to the side, thinking.

"I'd say they've gone very well. I'm not too far behind in my lessons and I've made a few friends," briefly my hand waved in the direction of Scott, prompting a noise of acknowledgement that almost ruined my calm expression, "I met everyone in Wilde at the house gathering too-"

"-Oh yeah! You're in Wilde – I'm such a dumbass I totally forgot. We're gonna have W socials together oh awesome." Without warning Scott suddenly burst into conversation, catching both Blaine and me off guard. "Your Head Boy's Nathanial right?"

"Er-"

"-Yeah he is, oh_ god_ that guy is such a weirdo, always trying to organise everything and get us all to work together against the Ds, and I heard he just sits in his study room all day just listening out for somebody to walk too loudly down the corridor or something, but I guess all Head Boys are like that really. No offence." I didn't dare to look at the expression on Blaine's face, instead staring intently at Scott's apologetically raised hand and trying not to shake with silent laughter.

"Hey can I get a drink or something I'm bloody parched?" Without saying anything Blaine pointed to a table on the other side of the room and Scott jumped up, loosening his tie as he waltzed over.

* * *

As soon as he was a safe distance away Blaine grabbed my arm and yanked me to face him.

"You're friends with _Scott Macleod_? Are you out of your freakin mind?" I let out the laughter I'd been trying to contain, which didn't go down very well.

"He's fun."

"_Fun_? The guy is totally nuts! He's broken his collarbone like eight times running into walls or something." The sight of Blaine's concern only made me laugh harder, but I put my hand on his arm to show I understood. Wow, thinking of Scott actually made it a lot easier to cope with my infactuation.

"I like him. I know he's a bit different-" I ignored the sarcastic look sent my way "-but he's been really nice to me and he doesn't judge. He's actually my first ever straight guy friend." At this Blaine pulled away, shaking his head.

"Well _that's_ not true – you have loads of guy friends."

"I know. But apart from you, Scott is the only guy that's ever chosen to hang out with me over somebody else." Blaine didn't respond. I glanced at his face and saw him concentrating deeply, staring intently at the coffee table but not actually focusing on it. His hand had moved unconsciously towards mine – the urge to reach out and stroke it nearly overcoming me completely. What was he thinking? I would have given anything to know. Frustrated, I switched my gaze to his neatly styled hair, picking out the individual strands and marvelling at how they changed colour depending on how the light hit them, how they swooped gracefully over his head until they disappeared behind his cute little ears. Really, it was unfair that Blaine was so beautiful. Unfair that I hung around him constantly, thinking almost entirely about that beauty – but that I could never say anything about it. Or say anything without risking my total and utter humiliation.

"You know…" Suddenly I was snapped back to reality – my hand shot up towards my lap and I scratched behind my ear nervously, hoping Blaine hadn't noticed my daydreaming. Thankfully he looked my way seconds after, his expression filled with an intensity that made me catch my breath. "I hope now, here at Dalton, you realise you will always have friends, really good friends. And they will _always_ put you first." For a second I was lost in warm brown eyes. I couldn't even think, my thoughts swirling around in my brain so they clouded everything rational and normal. Man I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to kiss him so bad. But I couldn't.

"Thanks." With an aching in my heart I broke eye contact, faking a smile as I looked down at my knees. As if on cue Scott suddenly reappeared, his hands grasping at least four neatly cut crustless sandwiches.

"_Dude_, you did not tell me you get sandwiches here! They're so good!" He sat back down showing one into his mouth whole so my eyes widened. "Bloody hell this is awesome." He murmured whilst chewing and I shook my head in disbelief. For once, I was glad he had interrupted.

* * *

Before long an hour had passed and our lunchtime was over. I looked up at the clock with a mixture of feelings – half of me wishing it could go slower and the other half needing to get away for my body's sake. As we said goodbye I could tell Blaine was disappointed too, but we didn't linger with our hug and I was out of the senior common room door as quickly as I had entered.

* * *

"So…" Scott said as we slowly made our way down the corridor, me with my head drooped down, staring at my feet, "you like Blaine right?" Instantly I snapped upright.

"What? Um, well, yeah, as a friend…"

"_Dude,_" He laughed, "it was so freakin obvious I could see it from across the room." My cheeks flushed scarlet before I had a chance to stop them.

"Don't worry – I won't tell anyone. Unless you want me to. Like, for example, Blaine…" I watched Scott crash into the wall as I shoved him violently, the thunking noise his head made against it and the curse he uttered afterwards making us both laugh.

Brushing down the ruffles that had been created in my blazer from the movement, I glanced down the corridor again. Other lessons had finished now so it was beginning to fill up – I scanned the figures of the passing boys absentmindedly, but with a start suddenly spied somebody I recognised.

"Hey!" Leaving Scott behind I sprinted across the wooden floor, pushing past people and reaching my hand out to grab the arm of my subject, who either hadn't heard my shout or was choosing to ignore it.

"Excuse me." I said again, causing him to finally turn round. The boy's eyes were a murky grey colour, one of them almost completely hidden behind locks of long mousy brown hair that came down past his chin. When they met mine I saw the pupils dilate in shock and he went to step back. I kept my hand on his arm.

"I know you." The boy didn't respond. His expression stayed exactly the same. "You were staring at me at the Wilde gathering." With this I smiled sympathetically, hoping to elicit some kind of reply, or even an explanation, but it only seemed to scare him more. After a long pause I decided to try another approach.

"Um, I'm Kurt." Moving to hold out my hand, I momentarily let go of the boy's arm and like a flash he was off, mumbling

"I have to go," under his breath. I shouted after him but he carried on, almost sprinting round the corner until he disappeared completely from view.

"What on earth…?" I didn't really know what to do next. I had just been totally blanked, teenage girl style, in the middle of a busy corridor. Feeling a hand on my shoulder I turned to look at Scott, who had an expression on his face that was almost as confused as mine.

"Who was that?" I asked. He smiled, patting me knowingly.

"That my friend, was Gabriel Fosston."

* * *

When I finally made it back to Wilde I was completely exhausted. History had been fun – I'd sat with Steven, Connor and Wade and had helped them win a heated debate with another group on the innocence of Albert Speer – but after the lesson our teacher Mr Graham had asked us to help him carry some textbooks over to another part of the building. My weak arms had barely been able to manage it and they hung limply by my sides like there was still something holding them down. Climbing the stairs slowly I noticed darkness was already beginning to descend on the campus. I'd always hated how quickly the day ended in winter, somehow it made everything more daunting and scary. Some of the still open windows of the main building glowed with the classroom lights like hundreds of little tiny eyes and ant like students mingled with the shadows cast across the gardens as they walked through them.

When I finally reached my door I went to pick out my key from my bag, but was stopped by the message pinned on my door.

_Hello Kurt._

_I have gone too fence practice. See you later._

_From Artem_

I smiled, noticing how my roommate's accent even stood out in his writing. Seeing that the message continued, I wondered if he'd forgotten something, but the handwriting underneath was different, more fluent and very neat.

_Sorry to hijack your message – I came to see you but Artem said you were still in class. Remember you have your Warbler audition tomorrow so if you want to go through song choices then I'll be in my study room. We should make our lunch date a regular thing, but maybe without Scott next time :D See you soon._

_Blaine_

Oh Gaga, I'd totally forgotten about my audition and I had no idea what I wanted to do. The temptation to turn around and walk straight to Wordsworth was tantalisingly strong, but I shoved my key into the lock and walked straight towards my bed, flopping face down on it and groaning into my pillow. Darn it.


	6. Audition

_This chapter is dedicated to the wonderful person that is Chris Colfer._

_I know that I am not alone when I say that he is one of the most genuine and deserving people on the planet._

_He fully deserved that Golden Globe and I am so happy for what he has achieved - well done Chris!_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 6 - Audition**

Tap tap tap

Tap tap tap

The sound of my finger hitting against the hollow piano echoed around the large rehearsal room I was stood in. Nobody else was here yet, so it seemed even more cavernous and daunting – I reckoned we could have fit the whole of New Directions in twice with dancing space to spare. The double glazed windows stopped any sound from coming from outside, so the students that walked past laughing and joking became characters from a silent film, oblivious to what I was going through. If it was silent in the room, then my head was the complete opposite.

Remember your piano cue, slow down your phrasing in the first part, hit the high notes hard… Blaine's words rang through my head over and over again, each time becoming more high pitched and rushed as my nerves bubbled inside me. We'd spent a good hour or so this morning going through song options – him jamming away at the piano whilst I wailed and panicked – nothing had seemed to fit. I knew I could sing, and that I was definitely good enough for the Warblers, but I wanted to show myself at my very best. Which was hard when I felt like dying inside from my fear. It was only when we'd almost completely exhausted each other that inspiration had hit. I would sing Defying Gravity. Yes I'd done it before for New Directions and things hadn't gone well, but that was my own choice. Now that I was on my own I could use it again – and this time it would get me the prize I so desperately wanted.

Remember your piano cue

Tap tap tap

Slow down your phrasing

Tap tap tap

Hit the high notes hard

Tap tap tap

Somebody had to turn up soon. I glanced up at the clock, wincing as I saw there were still three minutes to go until most students exited their lessons and made the trek to the music room. Blaine had promised he would make it as quickly as he could but I needed him here _now_.

* * *

Suddenly I heard a noise and I spun round to see Steven and a couple of other juniors entering the room. Immediately relief washed through me, but I could still feel my palms sweating.

"Oh hey Kurt, you ok?" The way they walked in, the confidence they exuded from already completing their auditions however many months ago made my legs turn to jelly.

"Yeah, just wanted to get here on time." I mumbled, wondering whether to go and sit with them or stay by the piano. My finger tapping had now begun to accelerate and I saw a few of the other boys pick up on it.

"You'll be fine. Lacey knows what it's like to audition, nerves are fine." Ah yes, Lacey. I had been informed by Blaine that, though the Warblers chose all their songs and arrangements through a democratic system with elected heads - admission into the group and general tuning issues were controlled by Laura Lacey. As the name suggested, she was apparently an ex Broadway star with very high standards. Lots of people that auditioned for the Warblers didn't get in, and some had even been reduced to tears from her comments. Nevertheless, if you had the talent there was nothing to worry about. Or so Blaine had said.

Now that lessons were over more and more people began to file into the room, so I went over and sat down with Steven. Wes and David appeared and instantly made their way over, slapping me on the back and saying encouraging things that I tried my best to listen to. Then, finally, after what seemed like hours, Blaine rushed into the room, his face flushed and his shirt collar untucked from his blazer. He ran over and flopped down beside me, his heavy breathing making my chest tighten for a horrible second and my cheeks tinge.

"Sorry," He began apologetically. I was really hoping he wouldn't say my name in that breathless tone, otherwise I was going to get all kinds of images in my head. "Some stupid Wordsworth freshman started asking me questions in the corridor. How are you feel-" He was never allowed to finish his sentence, as the sound of high heels on the shiny floor made everybody stop speaking.

* * *

Laura Lacey was as intimidating as she had been described – and some. Her black hair fell straight down beside her porcelain white face, her features angular and harsh but still incredibly beautiful. Her eyes were lined with black so they popped out and made her stare even more intense, and her lips were pursed with determination. I saw her note the immediate silence that had fallen on the room with satisfaction, before walking into the centre of the room and clapping her hands sharply three times. Instantly every boy around me sat perfectly upright, sticking their chests out and staring straight forward. I hurriedly went to copy them but had already been caught out – piercing green eyes were on me and I froze.

"So here is the auditioner." Out of the corner of my eye I saw a couple of heads turn in my direction, but they quickly returned to their original positions after glancing at Lacey.

"As you probably know the Warblers is a very hard club to become a member of – we require only the very best and so will only accept that. Please show us if you have the qualities we need, Kurt." She gestured to the stage space next to her and for a second I was unable to move, frozen completely by fear. As I moved to stand up I felt a hand on mine and saw that Blaine, though he was still staring straight forward like a solider, had reached out to offer me one final bit of support. It was all I needed.

Walking up towards my spot I thought back to my New Directions audition. Of course the situation had been far less pressured – McKinley couldn't afford to be picky and our performance had mainly been to give Mr Shue an idea of how he would fit our voices in with everybody else's. But I'd still performed in front of people. Hell, I'd performed at Sectionals, where everything we did had been scrutinised and judged. And we'd won. As I faced the rest of the Warblers I pictured them not in their identical uniforms or their neat hairstyles, but as the mismatch I'd been part of. Mercedes, Finn, Quinn, hey even Puck. They would all be cheering me on. And I sang for them.

* * *

The piano track came in, I remembered the cue and started singing. Instantly several of the Warbler's expressions changed – either through the song choice or just the sound of my voice. I slowed down my phrasing in the first section and felt confidence flow into me. My eyes were avoiding Blaine in order to keep my focus, but Steven looked impressed and broke out of his stance to give me a thumbs up. As the song progressed I began to move about, swaying slightly and using my hand to emphasise the important parts of the song. Then, I hit the high notes. Hard. The feeling was electric. I was finally doing the song justice, myself justice. After that it was simple, I didn't even need to think anymore. I performed and I loved it.

When the final note had ended the room erupted with applause. I was taken aback at the sudden noise and even more so by some of the boys standing up. Finally allowing myself one glance at Blaine and saw his face filled with pride, his hands almost a blur as he hit them together and cheered enthusiastically. Wow. After a couple of seconds of basking in my glory I suddenly remembered the most important part of my audition and quickly turned to Lacey, who had moved to sit next to the piano Blaine and I had been practising with only a few hours ago. To my complete shock and delight, she was smiling. A glorious smile that lit up her whole face and suddenly made me see why she was so good at what she did.

"Well Kurt," She said, admiration in her voice that made me flush with pride, "that was something I've never heard before. I think we all agree that you'll make a great addition to the Warblers." Glancing at the rest of the group they all cheered in agreement and I suddenly realised why she had such a strong control over them. It wasn't fear – it was respect. Reaching into her skirt pocket she brought out a small badge and held it out to me, the rings on her slender fingers catching the light. I took it from her and saw it was the Warblers crest, a token of my newfound membership. I'd done it. I was in.

* * *

As soon as practice finished Blaine and co had their arms round me like a shot, declaring that we were going to celebrate at 'their place'. I was quite excited about visiting Wordsworth for the first time, so didn't really put up much of a fuss.

The building was very similar to Wilde, but the architecture was slightly older with swirls carved here and there, and of course, a different picture outside. As we passed it I saw Wes make a rather unsavoury gesture at the famous poet, making me laugh. When I enquired he informed me that he'd spent a whole year studying his Lyrical Ballads, and it hadn't been the best experience.

"He was so annoyed when he got housed here – we've had to stop him vandalising the place several times!" David exclaimed and I smiled.

Inside the wooden décor that mirrored practically ever building at Dalton was still present and everything seemed to be set out in the same format. I was expecting us to head for the common room so was surprised when we began to traverse the stairs. Blaine noticed the tug on his hand and turned round to face me.

"Come on – the party's in my room – it's the biggest." I had to stop myself from choking. We were going into Blaine's bedroom? I knew it had to happen sometime, but had at least been expecting some prior warning so I could mentally prepare for it. And now I had approximately fifteen seconds… Walking past the freshman rooms I felt my heart begin to thump and hoped Blaine wouldn't notice. We reached the end of the corridor and everyone turned to the door marked

**_B. Anderson_**

**_HEAD BOY_**

"You better be ready for this Kurty-boy – Head Boy rooms are awesome." David said with a grin. I gulped and the door was pushed open.

* * *

Wow. Blaine's room was bigger than mine and Artem's - it had space for a luxurious double bed, a desk _and_ a sofa, which was placed facing a rather nice plasma screen TV. The colour scheme was all pastel on the walls and covers, but each piece of furniture was a contrasting shade of dark brown, which set the room off beautifully. I barely had time to take any of this in however, as with barely a foot in the door I was pushed forward into a space and felt strong arms take hold of my legs to hoist me in the air.

'Woo! He did it! Kurt's a Warbler!" Wes and David bounced me up and down in the air so I let out embarrassing little shrieks and they chanted louder amidst laughs. I saw Blaine smiling as me he walked over to what looked like a mini fridge beside his bed, reaching down to open it and pull out a large bottle of something.

"Guys…" He announced with much bravado, the smile widening to a grin as he held up to bottle. It was champagne.

"Woah! Go Blaine!" The two other seniors almost forgot they were carrying me, rushing forward towards their Head Boy like he was holding two tickets to the Superbowl. Blaine coyly held the bottle away from them so they groaned in annoyance, before he signalled to the four glasses that none of us had noticed were set up on the dresser.

"Kurt gets first drink." David scooted over to grab the glasses and the popping sound of the cork leaving the bottle echoed round the room/ Well, this was all rather surreal…

"I just want to say…" Blaine began in an authorative manner as he poured the first glass, which was handed to my confused person, "that as Head Boy I condone under age drinking of _any_ kind on the Wordsworth premises…" Wes and David snickered as they took their glasses, "_unless_ our friend Kurt had just been made a Warbler!" Cheers rang around the room, we all clinked glasses and took a swig. Having only had champagne once or twice before, the taste was alien, and the unexpected bubbles shot to my nose and made me cough and splutter.

"Jeez Kurt, are you alright?" Blaine asked, hitting me lightly on the back so I could recover.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied when I had enough oxygen, "just inexperienced." Wes and David laughed, slapping me on the shoulder before downing the rest of their drinks and demanding more from Blaine.

* * *

As a stereo was turned on to begin playing some kind of dance music, I wandered over to the sofa, sitting down and admiring the large collection of DVDs lined up on the shelf under the TV – most of them Disney films. Wes and David had been given the bottle, so were arguing loudly over it and I noticed Blaine sit down beside me. For a while he didn't say anything, just sipped his champagne and looked at me, before finally he opened his mouth.

"Are you happy Kurt?" The question made me turn around sharply in surprise, but then I actually considered it.

"Yes. I am." Blaine smiled.

"Well, good. Because if you are then I am too."

* * *

Suddenly another sound entered over the hubbub of the music and raised voices. A sound I recognised.

"You guys are having a party?" Looking towards the door I grinned. Scott was standing a couple of metres away, his stance wide and excited. Behind him a couple of other students peeked over his shoulder nervously, obviously wanting to be in on the action but not having the nerve.

"What are we celebrating?" I glanced at Blaine and saw the annoyed expression had taken over his face again. To avoid a confrontation I waved to attract Scott's attention and his eyes widened in happy surprise.

"Kurt! What are you doing here?"

"I got into the Warblers." I replied happily, but feeling my cheeks flush with slight embarrassment. Immediately Scott bounded over, hoisted me off the sofa and crushed me with a fierce hug.

"Dude, that is freakin AWESOME!" he exclaimed when we finally let go, me struggling for air. "Oh man! I bet you totally killed your audition right? Right?" Bouncing up and down like an excited puppy he looked around the room for conformation. We sighed.

"He killed it." Another loud whoop echoed round the room almost in time with the sounds on the stereo and Scott hugged me again, making me yelp out in surprise. I knew the next words I said were probably going to be unpopular with the other occupants with the room – but I didn't care.

"Wanna join us?" Scott grinned and I handed him the rest of my champagne, moving over so he could sit on the sofa.


	7. Shoes

**Chapter 7 - Shoes**

I'd never really seen it before, but having the new Warblers pin on my jacket really made a difference. Walking down the corridor to Trig people would stare, some of them nodded in approval and others even hi-fived me. Lines would suddenly disaparate when I went to get lunch, a space would always be vacant in the library. Far from being the loser of McKinley, worrying about slushies every time I turned a corner, at Dalton the students recognised my achievement and respected it. I was part of something big now. I was a rock star.

* * *

Artem was staring at the ceiling. He'd now read Vogue from cover to cover so many times he could almost recite the text by heart. Which was exactly what he was doing.

"Animal print is thee new black. Flowers are coming back eento fashion…" We were both stuck in the transition period between last lesson and extra curricular activities – an hour of doing trivial things until the real fun began. I was counting down the minutes to Warbler practice with a worrying urgency, the power had almost become a drug to me now and it had only been two days. Biscuit crumbs lay across our bedclothes from the cookies we'd devoured earlier (baked by me in Home Ec – another class where I was excelling far beyond the level I thought I would) and the screen of Artem's computer flashed with various images of cars and Russian things.

"Hey, do you want to-?" I'd rolled over to talk and end the bored silence, but at the exact same moment Artem's phone suddenly began to ring – a rather jazzy tune that I figured he still hadn't changed from when he'd first been given it. Scrabbling around like he was half asleep he finally grabbed hold of it and pressed the answer button, before declaring in a loud and majorly more accented voice

"Ah! Dobriy den' Babolya!" I groaned, burying my head in my pillow. It was his grandmother. And that meant at least half an hour of listening to very loud and confusing Russian. (Apparently she was partly deaf – I was surprised Artem wasn't too.) Unable to stay in the room I signalled to my Artem that I was leaving, grabbed a few things I would need for practice and shut the door behind me.

* * *

Now – what to do…?

The normal places I would go were out – Blaine was busy doing important Head Boy things and Scott was at football practice probably getting completely covered in mud (I certainly didn't want to be anywhere near him when he returned) – I'd finished the revision for my Trig pop quiz so I didn't even need to go to the library. Oh well, I guessed a walk was in order.

Dusk was beginning to fall on Dalton so I didn't spend too long in the grounds – the crunch of fallen leaves underneath my feet was very satisfying and I almost thought about playing with them like I used to when I was little, but the risk of someone catching me was far too great. Entering the main building I glanced in wonder at the empty corridors and silent classrooms, imagining the same rooms an hour ago filled with life and learning. Dalton was never normally like this – it was nice.

* * *

I don't know how, but I ended up at the rehearsal room. I hadn't been in since my induction into the Warblers, so seeing it brought back all the memories of my performance, Laura Lacey's smile, the cheers, Blaine's breathless voice when he'd come in late… Oh Gaga – why did I remember that bit the most out of everything? The lights were off so I flicked the switches, watching each one flicker on individually. Walking over to the piano I removed the sheet and held my fingers over the keys, nervous to break the calm silence that sat over the room. One finger pressed down and the note reverberated and echoed loudly until it gradually disappeared away.

I still had at least forty-five minutes before anyone would arrive.

Figuring nobody was nearby I decided to try my luck and have a go at playing some kind of piece, so I got up and began scanning the room for any sheet music that would reflect my musical standards. There were stacks and stacks of singing music, but nothing for the instrument – in my frustration I moved to look inside cupboards, pushing aside xylophones and cowbells until I finally reached a red door right in the corner of the room. It didn't seem to be locked so I tried the handle, the door creaked open like some cheesy horror movie and I pulled the cord to turn on the light. The room was a mess. For a second it was so dishevelled I couldn't actually see what it contained, but gradually as the light brightened I began to pick out hats and jackets and canes. This was a costume cupboard. Or a barely-used costume cupboard that had been hit with a bomb. Picking up a nearby trilby I saw it was still in fairly good knick, but was covered in a very thin sheen of dust. I let out a breath to get rid of it but the room was so stagnant that it blew into my face, making me cough and splutter so I set off other items. Rapidly my feet stepped back into the safety of the rehearsal room to escape the onslaught, but I stayed by the door, wafting it backwards and forwards to let some clean air in, determination on my face. I wasn't going to be defeated that easily…

* * *

The sound of the door opening jerked me out of the clothing-induced trance I had got myself into. Looking up I saw Blaine running into the room, a concerned but also surprised look on his face.

"There you are!" He exclaimed instantly. "Where have you been?" I was confused.

"I was…" Staring around the room properly for the first time I noted with shock all the piles of masks, hats and shoes I had neatly set up and ordered into style or colour. Glancing down at myself I saw the whole of my body was covered with dust marks – I could even feel some on my eyelashes. How long had I been doing this for?

"Practice was moved to the senior common room so we could choose the Sectional songs – didn't you get our messages?" Still not really with it I felt around the area I was sitting until I found my phone tucked inside a waistcoat. I had five missed calls from Blaine and a couple of texts from Steven.

"Er, no." I replied, feeling stupid. If practice had already started then…? Oh Gaga. I'd been doing this for nearly two hours.

"Crap!" I exclaimed, jumping up so the clothes on my lap flew everywhere. My first proper Warblers practice and I was an hour late! "I was early and then I saw this and…"

"What have you been doing anyway?" Now Blaine was looking at all my different piles, intrigue in his expression. I felt my cheeks colour.

"Um, well the costume cupboard was a complete mess and I had some spare time so I thought I'd tidy it up a bit…" At the mention of 'costume cupboard' Blaine's head darted to look at me.

"Wait, you went in _that cupboard_? We haven't used that for years – nobody could bear the dust. Have you…?" Stopping mid sentence he walked over to the open door of the cupboard. When he glanced inside he let out a noise of surprise.

"Holy crap Kurt – you did all of this in two hours?"

"It's nowhere near finished, I just thought I could get started and then finish later." Blaine wasn't listening – he was too impressed by my handy work.

"Wait till the guys hear about this – they are gonna love you forever." Holding out his hand like he usually did, not even needing to glance at me, he moved back towards the door to the corridor and I happily followed.

* * *

Blaine was right – the rest of the Warblers were very impressed. Even when they were all dragged from the common room back to the rehearsal area single-handedly to have a look. (I'd protested fervently, not wanting to delay practice any further) The whistles that flew around from viewing a relatively tidy cupboard almost made me laugh, but obviously I was the only person that had been willing to give up my free time for cleanliness.

"Dude, this is epic"

"We might actually be able to use it now."

"Will you clean our house cloakroom?" The last question, asked by a boy from Dahl, had been deadly serious. He'd offered me actual money. Eventually the hubbub had been broken up and we'd decided to stay put for our meeting, everyone sitting down in relatively the same places they'd been for my audition. Blaine reached over to pick a bit of fluff from my hair and I nearly had a heart attack.

* * *

"So…" Looking back forward I saw that with remarkable speed two desks had been set up in the performing space and four boys had sat down in the chairs placed behind them, bringing out stacks of important looking papers from their bags. All of them looked like seniors so I guessed they must be the elected heads.

"…Now that everybody is present we can begin our meeting." Wes sat in the furthest left chair, a big smile on his face like usual. Next to him was a student I remembered seeing at the Wilde gathering talking to Nathaniel, (I think his name was Earl) and furthest left sat a tall ganglier looking version of David who had a Dahl tie. However the person that caught my eye sat almost directly in the middle, his space somewhat larger than everybody else's. Like Laura Lacey, he commanded respect with his posture, the way he glanced around the room like he owned it. I tapped Blaine on the shoulder.

"Who's that?" He smiled, not even having to look at where I was subtly pointing.

"That's Xavier Winklevoss. He's Head Boy of Darwin." Now that he mentioned it, I could see the Darwin tie, and the Head Boy pin sitting on his lapel. "Most of the school view him like a God – his grade point average is flawless, he's already got his offer from Harvard, he's played Lacrosse for Ohio and helped the last show choir he was part of win back to back regionals titles." Wow. That was more impressive than Blaine's résumé. "Nathaniel's practically in love with him." I chuckled. Now that didn't surprise me. I assumed most of Darwin's occupants would be ideal companions for rota making. And if I though my Head Boy was good looking – it was nothing compared to theirs.

"First item on the agenda, Sectional songs." Wes read from what I assumed was an order of service as it were – as soon as the word 'Sectionals' was mentioned everyone bristled and the room fell silent.

"Any suggestions?" The question was asked by Xavier. His voice boomed out at a considerably lower tone than I'd been expecting and embarrassingly, it made me exhale slightly. Blaine swatted something on his arm. Several of the boys raised their hands and offered song ideas, all of which were written down by Earl in a small notepad he'd produced. I wondered how they'd react to a mention of the Spice Girls and was debating putting my hand up when suddenly another one shot up beside me.

"Yes Blaine?"

"I think we should do Hey Soul Sister. Obviously we could rearrange the instrumental parts and I think it would really show off our range." Murmurs of approval rang round the room, Earl nodding as he scribbled down the suggestion next to the others. As Xavier moved his attention from Blaine to other hands his gaze briefly caught mine – for a second he stared before realising I must be the new member, acknowledging me silently and moving on. It was like meeting the Queen. The feeling was so strange that without thinking I suddenly raised my hand. The gaze returned.

"Yes…?"

"Kurt. Our new member's Kurt." Xavier didn't turn to acknowledge Wes like I did. He seemed intrigued.

"Yes Kurt."

"I say you guys should do something out of the box, something nobody's expecting. Like a girl's song." This time it was titters that echoed around the room. Obviously nobody had ever been as bold before, or the Warblers were pretty childish. I saw Xavier try to hide a wry smile, running his hand through his jet-black hair.

"Interesting. It's nice that you feel able to contribute Kurt, but perhaps your line of thought it not quite one we all agree with." I saw Earl draw two straight lines across the words he'd written and like that the conversation moved on. It was like I hadn't even spoken. The rejection stung like sand in my eye – I was used to Mr Shue dictating what songs we sang with no suggestions, but this was supposed to be a democracy. Didn't I deserve a full trial? I moved to put my hand up again but Blaine got in the way, flashing me a look that said we'd talk about it later.

* * *

Eventually, after a couple of harmony try-outs and a group vote, it was decided that we would sing 'Hey Soul Sister'. I was happy for Blaine, looking at him more closely revealed that he'd actually been waiting to suggest the song for months, and to have it recognised for such an important event was major – but I couldn't shake the feeling that I had been monopolised, that Xavier's opinion had got in the way of everybody else's.

When everyone was dismissed I shot up, looking to give the head of Darwin a piece of my mind, but Blaine was too quick. His hand darted out to touch my chest and hold me in position – something that normally would have had me reeling for weeks.

"Kurt," he warned, "leave it."

"Why? Why should I? He's not our leader!" I could see the torn look in Blaine's eyes, like he agreed with me but knew there was no solution.

"I'm afraid he kind of is. We elected him as head of the committee, and he does actually know what he's doing." Now that I wasn't going to leap off madly he moved his hand onto my shoulder, his thumb gently rubbing against my collarbone. "I think he likes to put new guys in their place when he first meets them. Your time will come." It was impossible for me to stay mad when I looked into those deep brown eyes. If I ever got anger issues I was going to ask for Blaine to be my personal assistant and follow me round everywhere to calm me down. Nodding my head dejectedly in reply he pulled me into a hug, his musky smell engulfing me so I sighed loudly without even caring.

"Come on, I'll shout you a coffee."


	8. Practice

**Chapter 8 - Practice**

Despite Warbler practices being stepped up to four a week for Sectionals, for the next couple of days there was only one thing everyone was talking about. Whilst Conners wrote down problems on the board, everyone secretly talked about steps and lines, whilst I waited for oven space the boys in front practiced their twirls and bows. As part of a Dalton tradition that stretched almost to the school's creation, every year a ball was hosted that saw all students taking part in a series of partnered dances within the confines of the massive great hall. It was always a night to remember, but the part that had everyone talking the most wasn't the music or the steps. We would all have partners, and that meant only one thing.

Girls.

I'd lost count of the number of conversations I'd heard about what everyone's partners were going to look like, if they were going to be good dancers, if they'd be single. St Jades, the school that would be providing the girls for the event, was the most searched for webpage on every computer. Dalton had gone girl nuts. Of course I wasn't undergoing the same hysterical transformation as everybody else, but I was looking forward to taking part in another school tradition.

* * *

On the day of the official dance practice you couldn't move for excited students – the air was filled with such an electrical charge I was surprised our hair wasn't floating in the air. Every toilet was filled with boys doing their hair, smartening their uniforms, freshening their breath – it was all rather funny. All the Wilde students convened in the common room and Nathaniel gave us a speech about how we were representing the school and we should try not to get too excited – something that had everyone nudging and winking at each other. Eventually we all filed out of the building with the other houses and made the brisk walk over to the great hall, the St Jades coaches parked neatly in rows in the car park, their green rims glistening in the sunlight.

* * *

Inside the hall was already a mêlée of noise – people queuing up to find their partners and the ones that had found each other chatting avidly. I stuck by Steven, Connor and Wade, lining up and gazing round in wonder at the high ceiling of the hall. It really was huge. When I reached the front of the queue I was met by Miss Breamhold, who seemed slightly surprised to see me, smiling nervously. (Scott was still terrorising her in Spanish, and it seemed simply by sitting with him while he did it I had been branded his accomplice.) Looking down her list she picked out my name.

"Ah, Kurt Hummel you have been paired with Cynthia Baines, please stand over there." Gesturing to an area over the right hand side of the hall she turned her attention to the student behind me and I followed her directions. On reaching my area I was greeted by another woman who must have been an St Jades teacher, standing by a gaggle of smartly dressed girls who were all pointing at various boys and whispering to each other. I stated my name and she immediately directed me towards one of them.

I could see exactly why we had been partnered together – Cynthia was a small timid looking girl with a tiny frame and curly brown hair pulled back by a blue headband – she was like my female equivalent. Upon greeting her I wasn't quite sure how to act, so bowed and held out my hand for her to shake. She immediately squealed and threw her arms around me, catching me completely off guard.

"My goodness Kurt you _are_ handsome!" She exclaimed in a childlike voice, looking at me with what could only be described as adoration and then towards the other girls, who gave her a thumbs up. Oh dear.

"Well you are also very pretty." I replied out of politeness, making her squeal again. Maybe the St Jude girls had the same reaction as the Dalton boys about being able to mix.

* * *

Once everybody had been sorted and I had listened to Cynthia tell me all about her pony Butterbell (apparently she hadn't been able to choose between Buttercup and Bluebell) we were called to the centre of the hall and the heads of the two schools took their microphones.

"Welcome all students to the rehearsal for the annual Yule ball. Remember this is only a practice, but we want you all to imagine you are dancing for real."

"You should all have found your partners by now so we can begin!" A microphone was handed to another small but very agile looking lady, who jumped up onto the stage and began to explain our steps.

"Ok, everybody needs to get into position, males with one hand on their partner's waist and vice versa." Cynthia and I stepped closer together and I gingerly put my hand to her side. She giggled and slid her hand on mine. Our other hands clasped together and I straightened my shoulders, trying to look professional. This was something you did all the time Kurt, dancing with girls. You wouldn't much rather be doing it with Blaine…

"Make sure there is a nice contact point" I was sure Cynthia was way too close to my face - our noses were almost touching and I could feel her quick breaths on my face. Her perfume smelt lovely but it just screamed girl. Maybe I was going to have to improvise for this to work.

"And begin the steps." The music started and slowly as one we all began doing the waltz steps we'd been taught separately prior to the event. 'One two three, one two three' I counted in my head, trying to stay focused. Cynthia was a much better dancer than I thought she'd be, very light on her feet, even if sometimes she did accidentally trip so I had to catch her. Our dance flowed freely and I began to enjoy myself.

* * *

Once the pace picked up and we were fully in the dance, I allowed myself to look around at some of the other dancers to see how they were doing. There were many car crashes, caused by girls and boys alike, but most students had obviously done this before. My eyes caught Nathaniel spinning a tall and incredibly pretty girl around the room with ultimate precision, followed by Wade and his partner, and to my surprise Artem was also flying round, obviously putting his fencing agility to good use.

"Ergh, look at that boy." Turning my attention back to Cynthia I saw she had a disapproving look on her face, and looking in the direction of her gaze I laughed. Scott was hurling his partner around the floor, his steps completely out of time with everybody else, occasionally making her squeal out as he stepped on her toes.

"Did he even learn the steps?"

"Probably. He's more likely getting them confused with football moves." I replied, smirking to myself.

"Well I think it's much more attractive when a partner knows how to lead." Again I felt the space between us lessen uncomfortably, but before I could kindly pull away I was stopped by something else. Blaine and his partner had whizzed past, completely oblivious to anybody else watching them. The girl looked like an African princess, with hair that flowed all the way down to her waist and bounced about as she rose and fell. Her dress was bright white, contrasting with her dark skin perfectly, and her posture was flawless. But that wasn't what caught my breath. I always knew that Blaine was stunning, but to see him dance… I would have given my right arm to have been that girl right then. I would have given up _all_ of my shoes. Cynthia seemed to notice my distraction, as I felt her tug on my arm.

"What are you looking at?" craning her neck to get a better look she made us miss a step and stumble. "Oh, _Tamara_." There was unmistakeable jealousy in her tone. "She's one of our best dancers. Her and Leah." Signalling to another couple moving past us I saw Xavier and a gymnastic looking blonde moving perfectly in sync with each other. Had everyone been taking secret dancing lessons without me knowing? At this rate we were never going to get picked for the finale.

Gradually as we went through all the different dances the number of partners on the floor were whittled down until only twenty of us remained. Cynthia and I had survived, as had Nathaniel, Wes and Artem, but the only two people everyone was looking at were Xavier and Blaine. They were on fire, almost like they were battling against each other but neither of them knew it. The only thing that mattered was the dance. I had to stop myself from looking at Blaine in order to concentrate, forcing myself to stare into Cynthia's light blue eyes and not think about the brown ones that seeped into my soul. My feet were on autopilot but my head was reeling – I wasn't quite sure how I was doing it. Amazingly, we were part of the final ten, with only Wes missing out. Mr Cox, head of Dalton, explained that we would lead the final waltz before everyone else joined in – an honour that not many students from either school would ever receive.

* * *

After the session had finished Cynthia immediately went to drag me over to some of her friends, babbling something about lunch, but I suddenly caught sight of Scott running towards me, still looking full of energy.

"Hey Kurt! Congrats on making the finale, you were freakin awesome!" He gave me a rough one-handed hug, as his other hand was hauling along his partner. "This is Meaghan." Glancing at the redheaded girl, who looked utterly exhausted, I stifled a laugh and bowed graciously instead.

"You two seem to be getting on well." Scott didn't notice my irony.

"Yeah, she's awesome. Come on, let's go say hi to my football guys." Before Meaghan had any time to protest she was yanked off again and I watched the two of them stumble away with great amusement. When they were a fairly large distance away Cynthia began to pull on my arm again.

"Come on Kurt."

"Um, I'm sorry but I have to go - Warbler practice." I lied as convincingly as I could. "Is that ok?" From the look on her face I knew it wasn't, but I was going either way. I wasn't quite in the mood for socialising with more excitable girls.

"Oh, ok." Pulling me into a fierce hug where she somehow managed to grab several different parts of my body Cynthia pressed her face to my chest and inhaled deeply. "I'll miss you Kurt." She said breathlessly. Inwardly I cringed. Awkwardly patting her on the head I went to move, but she grabbed hold of me again.

"Wait! Don't you want my number?" I paused, wondering how to react.

"Um, ok." Reaching into her bag she pulled out a marker pen she'd obviously brought specially for this type of scenario, scribbled down some numbers on my hand and kissed my cheek lightly as she let it go.

"See you soon." I smiled as enthusiastically as I could before turning to head out of the hall.

"Oh, and by the way Cynthia?" I watched her spin round, excitement in her eyes. "You're a very nice girl, but I'm gay."

* * *

Once I was out of the noisy hall I headed straight for the rehearsal room. The sight of Blaine looking so beautiful had put me in a funny mood – I wanted to be alone. When I reached the costume cupboard satisfaction filled me up again and I sat down to begin sorting out hats and shoes once more.

I don't know why tidying was always so therapeutic to me – I'd been doing it since I was a little boy, organising my Action Men's clothes in terms of fashion seasons. I guess without Mum I'd taken on the role of cleaner and it had become a kind of formality. And being tidy was nice – it meant you could always find everything you wanted. Well, everything that was available to you.

I sat in the cupboard for a good half an hour or so, the silence resting happily over the room, until suddenly the sound of footsteps in the rehearsal room jolted me upright.

"Kurt?" For a second I thought about not replying, staying completely still so he would go away, but Blaine knew me too well. The cupboard door opened and I looked up to see him smiling at me.

"I thought you'd be in here." Without saying anything else he plonked himself down beside me, brushing down his blazer in the dapper manner he always did. I was surprised he was even venturing anywhere near the dust with it on.

"Do you need any help? I may not be the tidiest person on the planet but I know how to keep things in order." He grinned at his Head Boy reference and I smiled back weakly, trying not to stare at the dimple on his cheek. Sometimes hanging out with Blaine was exhausting – fighting all the time to keep my emotions in check.

"Well done with getting a finale spot. You looked really good." Gaga I wished he meant that in the way I wanted him to.

"I think my partner thought I was straight. She kept coming onto me." I tried to put lightness in my tone and Blaine laughed, but he could sense something was up.

"What's wrong?" I felt a hand on my shoulder and sighed. It's _you_ Blaine. It's always been _you_. Why couldn't you see?

"Nothing." I lied. "I'm just a bit homesick."

"Happens to the best of us." His fingers began to move again and I clenched the fist tha he couldn't see. "Well I'm always here, if that helps. Come on, let's get all this stuff sorted." He reached out to grab a hat that I had already sorted and without being able tot stop myself I called out.

"_Don't touch that!"_ Blaine looked back, his hand hovering in the air and a shocked expression on his face. I blushed.

"Sorry, I already sorted that. I'm a bit particular." Thankfully he didn't take it personally.

"No sweat – how have you organised all this anyway? It looks like a labyrinth to me."

"Well I put all the flat shoes here and the boots over here, then the shiny waistcoats and the matt waistcoats go over here…" Immersing myself in explanation I felt familiarity settle over me, and Blaine chatted away enthusiastically, making me wonder why I'd felt awkward around him before.


	9. Muggle

**Chapter 9 - Muggle**

The room was deathly silent. I stared down at my test paper, my peripheral vision catching the flying of pens as the rest of the students scribbled down their answers. As if one pop quiz wasn't enough, Conners had decided to spring another 'refresher' test on us all – everyone was blaming it on Scott for saying that the last one had been 'easy'. He'd been placed on the other side of the room and for once I missed the sound of his foot tapping rapidly against the table leg. Looking back at the first question, I pondered it for a second, before starting to slowly write.

Blaine and I had arranged to have a movie night tonight – something I'd been subtly trying to suggest for weeks. Apparently he was going to 'destroy' me with his Harry Potter knowledge. I knew Scott was a big fan, so had quizzed him incessantly and he had plied me with facts, but at the moment they were merging with my Trig formulas to create a very messy picture in my head. Things with Blaine had become fairly platonic – he was no longer trying to coach me about being gay and standing up for myself, and I counted him and Scott to be my best friends. But the feelings I had for him were still there, perhaps stronger than ever. I knew it wasn't a date, but I hoped our night together might give me a few more pointers as to how he felt. If he felt anything at all.

* * *

When the clock finally hit half twelve and we handed in our tests, I sadly found myself counting the number of hours until five pm. Four and a half.

"Freakin Conners, who does he think he is? Jumping that on us…" Scott was mumbling curses as we left the room, like he normally did at the end of Trig.

"Do you think maybe if you didn't make comments while he spoke he might like you a little bit more?" I said, humour in my tone. He shot me a warning glance.

"I could be top student and he'd still hate my guts. I seem to have that effect with most teachers."

"Well you don't with the students." Another look. "Most students…" As we turned the corner of the corridor I suddenly caught a glance of Gabriel coming out of another classroom, carrying a stack of precariously balanced books. When he saw me looking he immediately went to move sharply away, but bumped into another student and went flying.

"Oh!" Running over I saw him flailing to get up, getting in the way of the student that was trying to help him.

"Gabriel. Gabriel, calm down." I put my hand on his shoulder to stop him moving and grey eyes stared up at me like a rabbit in headlights. With my other hand I began picking up books and seconds later they were all neatly collected again. Gabriel shot up, dusting down his blazer nervously and he grabbed the books quickly from me.

"Th-thank you." He mumbled, speaking properly to me for the first time since we'd met. I smiled in response and he rushed off, leaving me confused once again.

"What is _with_ that guy?" I asked Scott as he caught up with me, glancing back at Gabriel's rapidly disappearing figure. Scott scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I didn't want to be the one to tell you this but…"

"But what?" I stepped forward, urging him to continue. His face creased awkwardly.

"Some of the Wilde boys were talking about it at football practice – they said somebody went into Gabriel's room and there were drawings of you everywhere." My eyes widened.

"You mean that…?"

"Somebody's got a serious crush." My mouth dropped open. _What_. He couldn't be serious. Who would ever have a crush on me?

"Well, you're not exactly shabby to the average gay guy." I hadn't realised I'd spoken the last part out loud – Scott was grinning as he spoke. "And Blaine obviously likes you so-" His words were cut off by a shout as I slapped him on the shoulder. I'd banned all conversations about Blaine for the day – it made me too nervous.

"What do I do about it?" Returning to our original topic, Scott shrugged.

"I suppose there's nothing you can do. Just don't lead him on I guess." Staring down the corridor once again, I shook my head in disbelief.

* * *

"Hello?" Instantly my heart warmed on hearing the familiar gravely voice. He always sounded so concerned when he answered the telephone.

"Hi Dad." I was sat back in my room, trying desperately to while away the half hour of waiting time I had left, my phone pressed tightly to my ear. Dad sounded happy to hear from me.

"Oh hi son – are you ok? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to talk."

"Erm…"

"I mean generally talk. Chat." I laughed at Dad's sigh of relief. I think he was always expecting me to drop another gay bomb on him at any moment.

"Well that's great. How's Dalton?"

"It's great. I really love it here, I've made loads of friends."

"Yeah, Carole told me about Scott and Steven. They seem like great guys. She asks how Nathaniel is." I laughed, glad Dad couldn't see my blush through the phone. I was never going to be able to escape from this.

"Nathaniel's good – he's always really busy with organising stuff so I don't get to hang out with him a lot."

"And Blaine? Have you been seeing a lot of him?" I could sense the change of tone in Dad's voice – like he was interested but scared at the same time. I paused slightly before answering, wondering how to phrase it.

"Um, yeah, Blaine and I hang out. But he's really busy too. We're actually going to watch Harry Potter tonight."

"Just the two of you?"

"Um, no, probably Scott too." I felt bad for lying but I didn't want to give Dad too many ideas – especially when there was probably no truth to them anyway. It was just a friendly night in.

"Oh, that's great, have fun." I could tell he was relived, something that saddened me, but I suppose it would have been stupid for me to expect him to accept everything so quickly. If I'd been straight he would probably have acted the same.

"I will." At that moment Artem entered the room, still decked out in his fencing gear. He went to say hi but saw I was on the phone and halted his greeting.

"Oh, by the way Kurt, some of your friends came over and-"

"-Um, Dad, I've gotta go now, Artem is back and I have to get ready. Tell Finn and Carole I say hi. Love you." Signing off quickly before Dad had time to say anything else I shut my phone and moved to let Artem reach his bed.

"How was practice?" I asked.

"Tiring." Flopping onto the mattress he splayed his legs out in an ungainly fashion and I laughed. "Oh!" Suddenly he seemed to remember something, sitting up and rummaging around in his bag until he pulled out his dated mobile phone. "Look!" Holding it out to me I took it from him and stared at the screen, which was showing a text that read.

**I had fun today. Want to meet up for coffee next week?"**

"It's from St Jade!" Artem said excitedly, pointing back at the screen. For a couple of seconds I was confused, before the realisation finally hit.

"Oh! Your dance partner!" Artem nodded enthusiastically.

"American girl." Looking back at the text again I smiled. It seemed I hadn't been the only one to notice my roommate's dance moves.

"Are you going to go?" I asked. Artem looked embarrassed.

"Will you come too?"

"I don't think that's the point of a date. But if you really want me to, I will." A huge grin spread across his face – he leant back onto his bed, arms resting casually behind his head and I laughed, picking up my bag.

"I'm going to Blaine's now, I'll see you later."

"Byeee."

* * *

As I entered Wordsworth the butterflies in my stomach accelerated and made me hiccup. I don't know why I always acted like this – it wasn't as if Blaine and I were going to be totally alone – people came into his room all the time to ask questions. Climbing the stairs I stared out at the nearly black sky, it was crazy how fast winter was approaching. By the time Sectionals came along it was going to be late November. I reached Blaine's door, reading the nameplate as I always did, took a deep breath and rapped sharply three times. Almost immediately, it was opened.

Blaine was out of his uniform, something that surprised me. Even without his blazer he usually dressed smartly, but now he looked like he was almost in pyjamas. He _was_ in pyjamas. Before I was going to ask what occasion had brought upon this drastic change of attire (and sent me into a whole new world of fantasies involving elastic and thin cotton) I noticed the t-shirt design and smiled. They were Harry Potter pyjamas.

"Greetings muggle!" Blaine exclaimed, holding up a red vine like a wand. "What's the password?" I floundered.

"Er…expelliarmus?" Blaine nodded in approval.

"That's good enough. Entrée!" He swept his arm upwards to let me pass and I silently thanked Scott for getting me over the first hurdle.

Entering the enormous room I noticed that it had been transformed into a Harry Potter shrine, with various bit of memorabilia that I had never seen before scattered about on surfaces and furniture.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor common room!" Blaine bounded inside, grabbing hold of a hat that was balanced on the arm of the sofa and plonking it on his head. Gaga – if this evening was going to be filled with obscure references I was supposed to know, I was going to have a very confusing time.

"You do realise I've only watched Harry Potter once?" I said, deciding to come clean. Blaine stopped dead and turned to face me, his expression shocked.

"_What_?"

"I was always a 'Powerpuff Girl' kinda boy." I remembered going to the cinema with Dad to watch the first Harry Potter film – he'd bought me the whole costume in a vain hope that I'd find my manly streak through casting spells and riding broomsticks, but I'd simply fashioned my robe in a dress and strutted down the cinema isles like a model instead. I smiled apologetically at Blaine but he didn't seem too peeved.

"Well, now you are in the Blaine domain, be prepared to fall in love." He held up the DVD, grinning and I smiled back, wondering if he knew his words were all too true.

* * *

As I sat down on the sofa Blaine bent down to place the DVD in the player, his t-shirt riding up to reveal a considerable part of skin so I looked away blushing. Turning around he motioned for me to scoot up and sandwiched himself between my body and the arm of the sofa, stretching out his legs and resting one of his arms on the back of the sofa. This was the most relaxed I'd ever seen him – it was incredibly sexy.

"Are you ready?" He said with a grin, a grin that made my heart begin to race uncontrollably.

"I'm ready." He pressed play and then immediately began to sing along with the opening theme, making me laugh.

* * *

If there was one thing I absolutely adored about Blaine, it was that he was the comfiest headrest ever. I spent a decent part of the film building up the courage to rest my head back onto his shoulder, before he suddenly reached out to grab another red vine and knocked me so I fell into the position completely by chance. I waited to see if he would object, but he made no complaint, so I snuggled in and listened to the sound of him eating. Every so often he would lean down to tell me some random fact about the shooting or something they had missed out from the book – most of them I didn't understand, but I still asked questions so I could smell the sweetness of his breath over and over again. Really I was only doing myself damage – desperately trying to cling on to something I couldn't have, but at that moment I couldn't care less.

"This scene should have been longer, but they had to cut bits out because it didn't fit with the rest of the film." I nodded, trying to look as interested as possible as Blaine told me yet another fact and reached forward to grab a handful of popcorn from the bowl that was balanced precariously between us.

"Oh," As I returned to my position Blaine stopped, shifting himself further upright, "you have something in your hair." He motioned for me to tip my head forward and I felt his fingers probe around for the alien object, rubbing against my scalp in a way that almost had me sighing with pleasure.

"Got it." He plucked out a small popcorn kernel, throwing it behind the sofa, but his hand stayed near my head, slowly stroking the tips of my hair. Oh Marc Jacobs…

* * *

Suddenly there were three loud knocks on the door. Both Blaine and I jumped, sending the bowl of popcorn flying and we immediately moved apart, much to my immense disappointment.

"Who the hell is that?" Blaine asked roughly, springing up and marching to the door. When he opened it I heard a familiar voice.

"Wassup Blainey-oh?" Scott let himself into the room, starting to ask him a question about showers, when he noticed me and the TV.

"Kurt! Hey! _Oh…_" Suddenly it all came back. He'd obviously totally forgotten about our movie night.

"_Hi Scott_." I had never wanted my friend to leave the room more than I did right now. What had Blaine been about to do?

"How's your movie night going? Has Kurt been telling you all the stuff I taught him?" For Prada's sake. Not only had I told Scott not to mention that he knew anything about our plans, he'd also revealed that I'd asked for coaching. That I'd been trying to impress Blaine.

"Um…" Blaine looked confused. I was livid.

"_Scott!_"

"I totally love Harry Potter. Hermione is fit as."

"Do you want to join us?" At this, everybody stopped. What? Blaine seemed confused himself by his words – that he was actually requesting that he spend time with a boy he claimed to dislike. Even Scott looked shocked.

"Um…?" I saw him look towards me, obviously checking for approval. I couldn't rightly say no now – it was Blaine's room after all, and it would look too weird. But _why_ had he asked?

"Yeah, watch with us Scott." Still slightly on edge Scott walked over and perched himself down beside me. When Blaine sat down it wasn't with the casual edge he'd had before – his Head Boy persona kicking in so he sat up straight and didn't touch me. My heart sank, but I tried not to let it show. Damn.

* * *

At first the atmosphere was so tense you could cut it with a knife, everybody staring silently at the screen, but gradually Scott lost his inhibitions and began to comment – mainly about Hermione. I noticed Blaine fidgeting, moving his head sometimes so it looked like he was having a heated conversation with himself. Towards the end of the film I went to ask Scott a question but he suddenly jumped up, pointing at something on the screen.

"Look! This is the bit that really grinds my gears!" He exclaimed. "Ron and Hermione!" I stared at the screen, not getting his point. The two figures didn't seem to be doing anything controversial – just talking to each other.

"It is so bleeding obvious that Ron likes Hermione and Hermione likes Ron – why do they drag it out so much? I _hate_ it when people do that!"

"Maybe Ron has a legitimate reason for dragging it out." Suddenly Blaine joined in the conversation for the first time in a while, so we both stopped to look at him. His tone seemed defensive and Scott caught up on it.

"Why? What reason could he have?"

"_Maybe_ Ron wants to be absolutely sure of his feelings for Hermione before he takes that next step, _maybe_ Ron doesn't want to rush into things and ruin it all. I mean Hermione's been hurt by Victor Krum before and she might just be throwing herself onto another guy for the sake of it – _maybe_ Ron doesn't want to take advantage of that!" For a second everyone was silent, shocked by Blaine's sudden outburst. He looked enraged, his face pink and his whole posture leant towards Scott in a way I would normally have found extremely manly and attractive. Scott was in the same riled state.

"Ok, ok guys, are we still talking about the film or have we moved onto something else?" I asked, waving my hands in an ending movement between them. At the sound of my voice both boys relaxed but the bristling tension was still there. Prada almighty…

I was about to say something else when the sound of a door knock filled the room once more. Blaine sprang up and marched over to the door, wrenching it open and barking a

"What?" at the poor unsuspecting Wordsworth.

"Er, is Kurt there?" Instantly I sat up, recognising the voice.

"Nathaniel?" Getting up and joining Blaine I saw my Head Boy standing in the hallway, looking rather nervous.

"What's wrong?"

"I think you'd better come back to Wilde. Now."


	10. Invasion

**Chapter 10 - Invasion**

I didn't even bother to grab my jacket, racing out of the door and looking at Nathaniel nervously.

"What's happened?" Was everybody ok? Had something happened to Dad or Finn? I don't know why, but for some reason Gabriel popped into my head, but I pushed the thought aside. We jogged down the stairs, Blaine and Scott following after, not wanting to stay behind and Nathaniel paused dramatically at the bottom.

"They've invaded."

"What? Who's invaded?"

"Girls." Instantly my posture relaxed. Oh Gaga. "They just barged in and wanted to know where you were – they _threatened _me!"

"Nathaniel, calm down. _Calm down_." I pressed my hand on his shoulder, walking forward past everybody else. Seemingly I was the only person that was ok with this situation – which was probably because I was the only one that knew who the girls were.

* * *

And I was right. As we turned the corner out of the building there they were, the McKinley gang, giving hell to some poor unsuspecting Wilde boys who were preventing them from getting inside. On seeing them again I heard Nathaniel let out another squeak of fear.

"There they are!" He whispered, even though we were much too far away for them to hear and the wind was blowing the wrong way.

"Hey! Girls! Hey!" I shouted out in response, waving my arms frantically in the air to try and catch their attention. Nathaniel grabbed my arm as if I was provoking a hungry wolf.

"_What are you doing?"_ Before I could explain I was spotted and immediately they all began heading my way, a thundering stampede of oestrogen. Brittany reached me first being the quickest, but Mercedes pushed her out of the way to grab me in a monster hug that had me gasping for breath.

"Kurt!" She exclaimed in a high-pitched voice that made Nathaniel clasp his hands over his ears. After being hugged to death I was finally let go, only to receive a sharp slap to the head.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, wondering why I was suddenly being punished. Blaine stepped forward defensively but was stopped by Tina.

"_Why_ haven't you replied to any of my texts? Have you lost the inability to use your phone?" Suddenly everything clicked – why they were here, why they'd asked where I was and 'threatened' Nathaniel, Dad's attempt at warning me when I'd cut him off on the phone earlier. I had been a bit lax at replying to New Directions texts at the moment, even from Finn – but I'd been busy.

"Are we not important anymore?" I could sense the hurt in Mercedes' voice and immediately felt guilt rush through me.

"Of course not." I replied sincerely, taking her hand and holding it to my heart. "I'm so sorry I haven't been in touch recently, I've just been really busy with work and Warblers stuff. I've wanted to get in touch, honest."

"We thought they'd taken you hostage." Tina said, eyeing the Dalton boys around me suspiciously. I laughed, before remembering that I should probably introduce my friends to each other.

"Guys, these are my friends from McKinley, my old school. Mercedes, Tina, Brittany and Quinn. Girls these are my Dalton friends Nathaniel, Blaine and Scott." As I pointed out each individual person I looked at them briefly, but when I reached Scott, stopped. For once in his life, he was stood completely still. He wasn't even talking. Just staring straight forward at something. Surprised and very much confused I followed the direction of his gaze, before smiling. He was staring at Mercedes.

"Scott?" There was a smile to my voice as I tried to break my best friend out of his trance, a trance that could only be described as lustful.

"Hmm?" Abruptly he came too, shaking his head and looking at me questioningly. I laughed.

"Scott, Mercedes. Mercedes, Scott" I motioned between the two and Scott shot his hand out, almost returning to his dreamy gaze again.

"Very pleased to meet you." He said, his voice taking on a tone I had never heard before – like he was trying to be a gentleman. Mercedes giggled as she took his hand, giving it a quick shake before returning hers to her side, colour gracing her cheeks.

"How did you guys get in anyway?" I asked, returning the conversation to its original topic. Scott was mumbling something under his breath but I chose to ignore it.

"Well it wasn't easy. Santana and Brittany had to do some impressive cheerleading moves, but we managed it." Quinn said, a smile gracing her lips.

"Hey, don't do yourself down, you were pretty awesome too." Tina added.

"Where is Santana?" I asked. The girls all exchanged knowing glances.

"Her and Rachel got into an argument, so we left them to clear up and sort it out." The smile on Quinn's face had widened the way it did every time Rachel did something funny and I reminded myself to probe her about it later.

"Well, we should probably get inside before anyone sees you guys – I don't want to lose any shower privileges." The Dalton boys laughed, making Nathaniel blush and we all made our way into Wilde.

* * *

Luckily the common room was pretty empty – Nathaniel made up some lie about an early curfew to get rid of the few freshmen that were there and once they were gone we all piled inside. Thankfully they'd left the fire burning so I went and sat by the fireplace gratefully. Scott perched himself beside me and managed to whisper an

"Oh my _GOD_" in my ear before Mercedes entered the room, making me snort.

"Wow, this place is so cool! Do you really live here?" Tina exclaimed, walking over to the piano and pressing a few of the keys excitedly.

"Are we in Hogwarts?" Brittany asked, making everyone laugh and Blaine turn around abruptly – for a second taking me back to the events that had happened just minutes before all of this. Funny how they'd been forgotten so quickly.

"No, it's not Hogwarts, but I _do_ live here – I can't believe how lucky I am." Mercedes came to sit down the other side of me, making Scott clear his throat and sit up properly.

"Where were you when we arrived?" She asked, in a slightly more hushed voice, so I knew the conversation was only for us. I tried to stop the blush that came into my cheeks but failed.

"Um, I was at Blaine's – we were watching Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter? You never liked those films…"

"Yeah, but he didn't know that." I laughed harshly at my own patheticness, glancing over towards Blaine, who was now talking to Tina about the piano. He'd somehow managed to grab his blazer on leaving Wordsworth and it looked rather funny over his pyjamas, along with his shiny black shoes rammed on with no socks. Despite his mismatched appearance he was back to dapper Blaine – it astonished me how quickly he could revert to it – like the other Blaine was non-existent. I wondered if he reserved the casual one for special occasions and then wished I hadn't.

"Kurt…" I could tell Mercedes was itching to talk to me about it, to offer her support. I wanted to as well, but now wasn't the time, so I settled for a hand on hers and as warm a smile as I could manage. Having New Directions appear out of the blue reminded me just how much I missed them. Dalton was awesome and all – but McKinley was my home.

* * *

"The party has arrived!" Suddenly Santana and Rachel entered the room, causing a scene almost as soon as their feet stepped through the door. Santana seemed to be in heaven, glancing round the boys in the room before stopping at Nathaniel, smiling.

"Well _hello_ attractive rich private school boy." She said coyly, sidling up to him in a way that had the Head Boy blushing beetroot. Her fingers ran along the edging of his blazer until they reached his collarbone, at which point she leaned over and whispered something in his ear that made him splutter violently. I laughed along with the rest of the room, before turning my attention to Rachel, who was making her way across the floor towards me.

"Kurt!" She said happily, allowing me to stand up before hugging me tightly. "How are you?"

"I'm good." I replied, grinning. "You guys could have given me a heads up on you coming – I would have scrubbed up a little bit."

"Nonsense" Scott commented, also standing up, "you look great whatever you wear." I smiled sarcastically, giving him a nudge, before introducing the two to each other.

"Oh, wait – you're not…?" Suddenly Rachel seemed unsure, motioning between Scott and I with a funny look on her face. The ball dropped.

"Oh Gaga no! No, we're just good friends." Scott pretended to look offended at my quick dismissal of our romantic relationship and I gave him a shove, making us both laugh. As I'd turned to push him I saw Mercedes looking on with an admiring expression.

"What was up with you and Santana?" I asked to move the conversation on. Rachel's face darkened comically.

"Ergh. She was trying to take control of the operation, even though it was _my _idea in the first place. Well, mine and Mercedes'…" Hah. Only Rachel would use the word 'operation' to describe a secret trip to visit a friend.

"Well I'm very impressed. You took me totally by surprise."

"Along with the rest of Wilde." The look of pure delight on New Direction's lead female vocalist was one I would savour forever.

* * *

Once everyone had been fully introduced to each other I took the girls on a tour of Wilde, prompting many gasps and noises of approval, mainly from Rachel. (I saw her very much as a female Nathaniel – in fact I wouldn't have been surprised if she'd Google searched the nearest all-female school as soon as she got home.) We all somehow managed to pile into my room – much to the surprise of Artem, who had been quietly studying. Him and Brittany got along like a house on fire and spoke about pigs for an alarmingly long time. It was one of the most fun nights I'd had in a while – in fact I wondered why I'd never thought to invite any of them over before. When it was time for them to leave I could feel tears beginning to well in my eyes, but managed to hold them off – unlike Rachel who blubbed her eyes out like she was accepting an Oscar. Mercedes left with the promise of a coffee date with me some time in the next two weeks, as well as Scott's mind. He seemed unable to talk for the next hour.

"Holy crap, she is the most beautiful person I have ever seen. Is she even real? Why did you never tell me about her before?" He burbled continuously, never giving me a chance to reply. I have to admit, I was impressed as well as being highly amused. The only other thing I'd ever heard Scott declare was beautiful before was the new Halo game (which I also sucked at – we'd tried.)

"I think she liked you too." I commented with a smile, sending him off into another reel of babbling exclamations. The hour hand on my cheapo wall clock was drawing towards twelve, signalling the start of a new action-packed day at Dalton filled with Spanish, Home Ec and Warbler rehearsals. The next time I would see my McKinley friends would be at Sectionals.


	11. Sectionals

**Chapter 11 - Sectionals**

Just looking at the Dalton coach made me realise how far I'd come.

At McKinley we'd scrounged for a bus. We'd gone around in wheelchairs and sold cakes with Chronic Lady in them – and Mr Shue had _still _had to beg Principal Figgins. Here I'd got up, met up with the other Warblers in the rehearsal room and walked out to see the spick and span coach parked outside the man building waiting for us. It was about twice the size of the McKinley bus, and would hold at least three times as many people – due to our Glee club being cool we actually had spectators that wanted to come and watch us. The wheels rims were shiny and polished, contrasting with the dark black of the tyres that looked like they hadn't been used, even though that was impossible.

"This is crazy." I muttered to myself as we waited for the rest of the Warblers to catch us up. Blaine stepped up beside me.

"What's crazy?"

"This. Just _this_." Motioning towards the bus I heard his familiar laugh.

"Well, Mr Cox does like us to travel in style." Once everyone was gathered Xavier and the rest of the elected heads stepped forward and we all began to walk together as a unit.

If I'd thought the outside of the bus was impressive - the inside was even better. Everything looked brand new, from the plush seats to the shiny TV's that were dotted every so often down the centre of the aisle. Our followers had been allowed on the bus first so we stepped on to cheers and shouts and made our way to the seats at the back that had been reserved for us. Scott and Artem were sitting together and they both gave me an extra loud cheer as I passed – I could see the new Vogue I'd bought Artem to replace the one that was now virtually unreadable sitting on his lap, the corners of the pages already thumbed. Rather overwhelmed I sat down in the nearest chair I could find and to my surprise Blaine plonked himself down next to me, giving me another grin.

"Alright if I sit here?" He asked, even though there was no real need to. I nodded silently and stared out of the window at the Dalton building – wondering what New Directions were feeling like right now. Despite the complete difference in preparation I still felt exactly the same as when I'd attended my first sectionals. Crapping myself.

"Kurt?" Turning round slowly I saw Blaine staring at me with concern in his eyes. When he looked at me like that his eyes seemed to deepen into great big pools that I felt I was going to fall into if I got too close.

"It's going to be fine." Out of the corner of my eye I saw him reach out and place his hand over mine, the sensation making me shiver so I pulled at my blazer and pretended I was cold.

"Seriously – we have the song down and we're going to rock it." I wasn't worrying about rocking it – I knew we probably would – I was worried about how I would feel about rocking it. Whether it was going to feel right me performing against the people I loved. Well, most of the people I loved.

"I know." I said in reply, trying to smile as happily as I could. Blaine shifted his position to face forward but kept his hand on mine and I looked out of the window as the engine started and Dalton disappeared behind us into the distance.

* * *

The bus had been a hive of chatter all the way to the theatre, but when we actually arrived and the large cylindrical structure came into view, the volume increased to a loud hum of noise. All the Warblers were silent – looking at each other with an expression that said 'this is it'. It was their first Sectionals in a couple of years so we all knew we had to make it count. Stretching his arms Blaine moved his hand away from mine for the first time the whole journey. His face was serious but he still managed a smile when I looked his way.

"We're here!" He said excitedly, standing up when the coach finally halted to brush down his uniform the way he always did.

"We're here."

Leaving the bus behind we walked to the building in our same united format. A couple of spectators were already arriving and shot us admiring glances as we passed. Ignoring the protocol Scott ran up to find me, sandwiching himself between me and Blaine and grinning emphatically.

"How freakin awesome is this?" He said, whilst chomping on the sandwich he was supposed to have saved for lunch. "Are we allowed backstage or is that just for your crew?" I knew why he was asking – and for once it wasn't for the free food we were probably going to get.

"I don't know. I don't know if we'll even be able to socialise with the other groups either." I hoped we would, for the sake of my nerves. I had to see Mercedes and Finn before I performed or I was going to explode.

"You _have_ to get me there dude, _please_. I _have_ to see her again." I chuckled.

"Ok, I'll try." Having Scott with me actually took my mind off the competition – just as Blaine calmed me down when I was angry, Scott helped me feel sane. Or at least saner than him.

"How're _you_ feeling?" Scott asked Blaine, the grin on his face widening, "with the solo and all, that's gotta be a lot of pressure-"

"-I'm fine. We're all fine." I gave my friend a glance to show he shouldn't try and meddle any further and he got the picture, signalling back to Artem to tell him he was returning.

"You're gonna kick ass dude, don't sweat it!" He shouted as he left, almost crashing into another Warbler who looked at him disdainfully and shoving the last bit of his sandwich into his mouth. Turning back to Blaine I saw that his expression had darkened, probably thinking about his solo now that it had been mentioned, Now it was my turn to be the optimistic one.

"You _are_ going to kick ass. I know it." I said, rubbing his shoulder and he smiled in thanks.

* * *

The rehearsal rooms inside the theatre could be described in two words. White and massive. When we entered a couple of the Warblers broke their uniform precision to run around it excitedly, whooping and hollering like they'd just been let out of prison. Wes and David came over to Blaine and I to offer their Head Boy their support, also acknowledging me with encouraging looks.

"We should be asking Kurt about Sectionals – he's the only one that was there last year." David said with a grin, making me flush.

"Well we didn't exactly have a hard time – up against a group of young offenders and a deaf school. This year should be much harder."

"I can't believe you didn't quiz those McKinley girls about the song they're doing!" Wes added, raising his hands in the air in mock horror.

"I can't believe I missed them coming…" As David drifted off into dreamland my thoughts went back to New Directions. I wonder if they'd arrived yet…

"Do you think I'll be able to go and…?" I trailed off, wondering if I was allowed to even say it. The three boys smiled at me.

"We won't tell Xavier if you don't." Grinning back in thanks I scooted out of the room and into the corridor.

* * *

I didn't have to look very far to find them – it seemed Finn and Mercedes had had the same idea as me and were also trailing the long white passageways. When we saw each other we slow-mo ran together, like in a cheesy film, and crashed into a massive group hug.

"Kurt!"

"Finn! Mercedes!" Gaga it was good to see them. Both of them had scrubbed up for the occasion – Finn was even wearing a new cologne that smelt delightful – I was going to have to ask him what it was later.

"I'm so excited! Are you nervous!" I was glad to see Mercedes was smiling – I'd been worried she would take performing against me hard, but she seemed just as optimistic as Scott had been.

"A little. I'm more nervous about seeing you than performing myself." My cheeks reddened and Finn slapped me on the shoulder.

"No way! Although we are going to be pretty awesome. There's not a Journey song in sight."

"_No Journey songs?" _The two of them laughed at my wide eyes.

"_And_ get this – Rachel didn't get any solos." Holy Marc Jacobs. Maybe I had left the group at the wrong time.

"What are you guys doing?" I paused, wondering whether I should give away any secrets, before remembering whom I was talking to.

"Um, just 'Hey Soul Sister' by Train. Blaine has the solo." A long whistle rang out from Finn's lips and I smiled.

"S'definitely gonna be tough this year."

"Well I hope you guys do really well – I'll be cheering you on."

"Oh Kurt!" Mercedes grabbed me into another hug, waving her hands in front of her face to stop her makeup from running and I laughed.

"We should probably go now, we kinda sneaked out when Mr Shue wasn't looking." She said when we eventually let go.

"Me too. Well, when Xavier wasn't looking." Mercedes and I turned to leave but I felt a hand on my shoulder and spun back round to see Finn looking at me seriously. (Something that didn't happen very often.)

"Dude, I'm really, um, happy that, um…I'm happy that you're happy." He mumbled, his cheeks tingeing a beautiful pink colour. Unable to stop myself I pulled him into a hug – his large body crashed ungainly into me, one of his shoulders hitting me in the face – but I didn't care.

"Thanks. I miss you though,"

"I miss you too." Happiness flowed through me and when we broke away I was grinning my head off – we waved each other goodbye and walked down the corridor with a new sense of enthusiasm. Despite the fact that only one of us was going to win – we both new we would try our absolute hardest.

* * *

The auditorium was _huge_. I was pretty sure it was the biggest space I'd ever been in – almost as big as the concert halls I performed in during my daydreams. Nearly all the seats were full, something I had not experienced for a while, but I could spot the Dalton crew a mile off – all of them looking like children of some huge twisted family. We weren't allowed to sit with them as we had to be able to leave quickly and quietly, but we were allowed to acknowledge them. David and Wes pumped their hands in the air to make them all whoop and holler, causing Xavier to cast the two a steely glare and force them to sit down muttering quietly to themselves. I perched myself on the edge of my seat between Stephen and Blaine, excitement bubbling in my veins as I looked out at the huge stage. We had The Hipsters to watch first, but then we'd be up there.

"How're you feeling?" Stephen asked me, attempting to disguise his obvious nerves.

"I'm good. You?"

"Yeah. Just never done this kind of thing before…"

"Once you're up there everything will be fine." I smiled comfortingly – surprised at how I was being the one keeping everybody calm and he nodded in thanks. Glancing over at Blaine I saw he had zoned out completely, lost in his own little world running through lines and steps. His brow was etched with concentration and he looked completely adorable, so adorable that I didn't want to break him out of it, so halted what I'd been about to say and turned to watch the curtains slowly open and the show begin.

* * *

The Hipsters were good. I think they surprised everybody – I knew I'd been expecting some wailing version of a song nobody had ever heard of, but they were all in tune and even managed a few dance moves despite the Zimmer frames. I was so engrossed in their performance I didn't notice the other Warblers getting up until Stephen tapped me on the shoulder.

"Kurt – we have to go." I glanced up, still not quite registering his words, but suddenly realised and jumped up to follow him. We walked through the corridors to backstage briskly, the sound of our footsteps bouncing off the walls and echoing ominously.

As soon as we reached the wings we were ushered to our starting positions on the stage, the curtains having been re-drawn so we could only hear the bubbling chatter of the audience. Somehow not being able to see them increased the anticipation. Feeling my hands begin to shake I allowed myself a glance at Blaine, who was standing to the side of me centre stage. He was looking directly forward at the curtains, his chest rising and falling deeply and the sight of him calmed me slightly. I was going to do this for him. Even if he never realised it, even if it meant nothing to him, I was going to sing my heart out and I was going to do it for Blaine.

All of a sudden the tannoy boomed out announcing our performance. The audience fell to a deathly hush and slowly the curtain drew open to reveal them. Oh Gaga. I tried fervently to pick out New Directions or Scott and Artem but before I had the chance to the opening harmonies started and we were on. When Blaine issued his first note something in my heart jumped, I looked over and saw the concentrated expression had disappeared completely to be replaced with a glorious smile. As he began the first verse he began to move slowly forward so we were almost level with each other, walking over to David who was already dancing out of the strict choreography we had orchestrated before suddenly spinning round to sing

"And so I went and let you blow my mind" directly to me. Holy Marc Jacobs I hadn't been expecting that. I tried desperately to hide the shock on my face, stumbling over my words slightly as Blaine turned back to the audience like nothing had happened. He looked on fire – completely immersed in the song and loving every minute of it. As the song progressed he continued to look at me, making my heart race, so I focused my thoughts directly on the next step, the next line, staring out into the vast audience. Completely by chance I caught the gaze of Rachel, who was sitting next to Finn proudly watching on. I saw her motion for me to smile and obeyed – Finn looked like he was enjoying the performance but Puck, to my intense amusement, had a face like a slapped arse. When we were near the end I allowed myself one more glance at Blaine and saw him across the other side of the stage, working the crowd like a pro. He really was beautiful when he sang – he was beautiful all the time but when he sang he just looked so happy. Just to be around him was more than I ever could have asked for. All too sudden we moved into our final positions and the final note rang out over the auditorium.

For a second there was complete silence, and then the room erupted. People were standing up everywhere – all the Dalton crew were whooping and hollering – I even heard a 'Go Kurt!' from somewhere and found Scott and Artem jumping up and down like lunatics. We had rocked it.

* * *

Off stage the energy buzzed around like an electric current – everyone was high as a kite. Wes, who had been standing near me, slapped me on the back emphatically and Stephen gave me a very manly hug, all of them whooping excitedly and congratulating everyone. When my eyes caught Blaine's we both rushed towards each other, slamming into a fierce embrace that almost knocked us both over.

"Oh Gaga, oh Blaine" I mumbled to myself, not really able to form coherent sentences. Blaine spun us around, laughing excitedly and I dug my face further into his neck, savouring the smell.

"You were great Kurt! You rocked it!" I felt him try to pull away slightly to talk to me but I didn't want to let go, clinging onto his body tightly so he laughed again.

"_I was great_? You rocked the entire house!" I replied breathlessly, looking into his eyes for the first time. It had been a while since I'd been this close to Blaine, his lips were shiny from him just licking them and I felt myself going dizzy from the adrenaline and the sight of them combining.

"We did it. We did it _together_." Pulling me back in again I sighed loudly, not really caring if the other Warblers were watching.

* * *

It was incredibly hard to come down from the adrenaline high to watch New Directions, especially when I wanted so badly to appreciate their performance. They were brilliant – Sam and Quinn stole the show with their duet and Mike and Brittany had everyone staring open-mouthed. Even Finn managed to keep in time with the steps and Rachel didn't try to steal the show at all. The change that had gone through the group since they'd left was amazing – I couldn't help but look at Lauren, filling the spot where I would have stood, where I would have sung my heart out, but now she had the opportunity to shine just as I had.

When the cheers for New Directions had died down and the lights went up, all of the choirs headed backstage to wait for the results. I stuck by Blaine, still a little star struck by our rather intense show of affection earlier, but when I saw Artie and Tina rushed over.

"You guys were awesome!" I exclaimed, giving Tina a hug and Artie a hi-five. I could see they were both still majorly hyper – you would struggle to find someone that wasn't.

"So were you! Oh wow that was amazing!" I was going to say something else, but was suddenly caught completely off guard by somebody assaulting me from behind. Scott practically jumped on my back, letting out a loud whoop that had nearly everyone staring at us. Unable to hold his weight I stumbled forward and he laughed, pulling me upright again.

"That, was, freakin, AMAZING! Dude you rocked so hard the roof nearly went off!" He was so pumped he could barely get his words out – I saw Artie giving Tina a confused look and her laugh, having experienced my best friend's excitable temperament before.

"And when Blaine did that twirl thing oh man!" He tried to copy a dance move Blaine had done in our performance, failing spectacularly and crashing into Mercedes who had just come over after spotting us across the room.

"Ah crap, stupid feet, I-" When he looked up to see who he'd hit he froze, his face flushing bright scarlet.

"Oh!" Jumping upright he brushed himself down and Mercedes giggled. "Hi there."

"Hi Scott."

"You look…" As he struggled for words I looked over to Blaine, who was chatting to Wes and David but glancing our way every so often.

"Please go out with me." Mercedes' eyes widened.

"What?"

"Please. Coffee, a movie, _anything_. I don't care. But I can't stop thinking about you." My heart glowed with pride as the two of them gazed at each other, unable to comprehend fully what was happening.

"Yes." Scott looked confused.

"Yes what?"

"Yes I'd love to go on a date with you."

"_Really?_" Mercedes nodded and a huge grin spread across his face. Grabbing me roughly and crushing me to his chest he pumped his fist.

"Hell yes!" Everyone laughed, including Mercedes who looked the most bashful I'd ever seen her and I saw Blaine shake his head in amusement.

"Scott, what are you doing here? This area is for performers only." Suddenly the excitement was quashed by Xavier appearing, not impressed to see rules being broken. He stalked over commandingly as he spoke but Scott seemed unphased.

"Oh suck it Xavier!" He exclaimed, before turning away to pick up Mercedes' hand and kiss it. Man I loved that guy.


	12. 23

**Chapter 12 - 23**

We'd all still been reeling on the bus journey on the way home.

We'd drawn? How had that even been possible? Xavier had gone nuts, demanding a revote and even that we both sing another song, but the decision had been final. Both New Directions and The Warblers would progress to Regionals.

Obviously I was ecstatic. Not only had I succeeded with Blaine and all my other friends, but McKinley had too. There was no guilt, no feeling like I'd betrayed them or that one had deserved it more than the other. I could celebrate happily, and _boy_ were we celebrating.

* * *

By having the most Warblers as well as a person on the committee, Wilde was the host for the after show party. Preparations had already been made by the students unable to attend the main event (Nathaniel had even forgone his place to help organise everything, so I guess it was pretty lucky that we had got through) so when we entered the common room streamers were everywhere and celebration music was already playing.

"Congratulations!" Nathaniel exclaimed, shaking everyone's hand as they walked through the door. When he saw me his grin widened and I nodded in approval at the decorations.

"Nice work!"

"Well, you guys did the real work – Gabriel told me you really stole the show." I paused. Gabriel? I hadn't even noticed he'd been on the bus.

"He was the first one to text us the news." Smiling again in thanks I turned round to Scott who was behind me, slapping the shoulder of another Wilde member even though he hadn't done any singing.

"Did you know Gabriel was at Sectionals?" I saw his face ponder momentarily.

"Um…now that I think about it, I think he was. Didn't sit near us though."

"Is that Gabriel Foston?" The sound of Blaine's voice made me jerk round – I hadn't realised he was so close.

"Um, yeah."

"I didn't know you guys were friends."

"Well-"

"-We're not!" I interrupted Scott like lightening, jabbing him sharply in the ribs with my elbow. Blaine seemed confused. "I mean, um, we are _friendly_ but we're not friends." I didn't know why I was keeping Gabriel's crush on me from him – if it were anyone else I'd have let Scott babble and just rolled with the embarrassment. I guess I was scared that if Blaine knew Gabriel liked me then he might think I liked him back.

"Oh…ok." I knew I had made the conversation awkward (although I was intrigued as to why everyone seemed to know Gabriel) so quickly looked to move onto another topic.

"Does anyone want punch?"

* * *

The party was a complete success, everyone had a ball and The Warblers performed many encores to their adoring fans. Seeing everyone celebrating together was magical – I no longer felt like the outcast standing in the corner watching everyone else have fun – in fact I was one of the more popular ones. Lots of people complimented McKinley on their performance and told me to pass on good wishes for Regionals. We really were rock stars.

* * *

For a brief second I was alone at the party. Scott had gone off to find more snacks, Artem was talking to some of his fencing buddies and Blaine was discussing something with Nathaniel. I glanced down at my punch glass, tipping my head back to drain the last few drops and looking at how the plastic distorted the ceiling. When I dropped back down I realised someone was in front of me and jumped. For once, the grey eyes didn't seem startled.

"Hello." Gabriel held out another glass, this one full and I placed mine on a nearby shelf.

"Er, hi." This was odd. Gabriel had never made any effort to talk to me before – in fact he'd practically run away from me every time I'd uttered a word in his direction. Why now?

"You were very good." It took a while for my brain to process his words – I gathered that he expected me to understand.

"Oh, Thanks. Thanks for coming to watch."

"Next time you should go for a solo." I was struggling to partake fully in the conversation, due to my shock at it being started in the first place. Gabriel had pushed his hair behind his ears so his face was fully visible – he had a very strong jaw line that I'd never noticed before.

"Er…" I desperately tried to think of a response, when suddenly I saw Blaine approaching from the other side of the room and sighed in relief. Gabriel turned to see what I was looking at and his brow furrowed.

"Sorry to interrupt guys," Blaine said once he reached us "but can I just borrow Kurt for a minute?" He smiled at me and I took his hand without even glancing at Gabriel for approval, allowing myself to be dragged off into the crowd.

* * *

I expected (or rather, hoped) that Blaine had just been saving me from an awkward conversation, so was surprised when we didn't head into the middle of the party, but instead moved towards the door of the common room.

"Where are we going?" I asked. Blaine turned around to put his finger to his lips and my heart lurched. When we reached the corridor he began to head for the stairs, where I saw Nathaniel was waiting for us. What was going on?

"Blaine, tell me what's-"

"-Seriously Kurt – be patient." We climbed the stairs in silence, the moonlight shining through the windows so our shadows danced on the stairs. When we reached the top Nathaniel switched on the lights and Blaine finally turned round to face me, taking my other hand.

"Ok." He began. "I know you're probably wondering what the hell is happening-"

"-I sure as hell am-"

"-_So_ I am going to explain. Nathaniel and I have been talking about how you cleared out the costume cupboard out for free and all the support you've given Artem over the last couple of weeks." I briefly tore my eyes away from Blaine to glance at Nathaniel, who had a big grin on his face. "And we're both very grateful."

"What does this have to do with being up here?" Blaine smirked.

"Well – do you remember what you were told on your first day about how some students can be rewarded for good deeds?" I quickly thought back to the words Nathaniel had said, all of them suddenly merging into one so I panicked.

"I get a longer shower time?" The two Head Boys laughed.

"Not quite. But we're giving you something pretty special." Suddenly Blaine began to walk backwards down the hallway, pulling me gently along with him, never breaking eye contact. If I weren't overcome with intrigue about where this was going I probably would have stopped just to stare into his eyes forever. We made painfully slow progress until finally we stopped by the door to mine and Artem's room. Blaine gestured upwards to the door and I followed his hand before stopping. Artem's nameplate was still there above the number nineteen – but mine had gone.

"Eh hum." Nathaniel cleared his throat and I glanced over to see him holding the strip of metal, my name etched across it. My confusion grew.

"Now this is completely your decision." Blaine started again. He had caution in his voice, as if he wanted to make sure I completely understood. "If you don't like what we're suggesting then we can put your name back up there as easily as we took it down. But one of the seniors recently dropped out to return to California so…" Tugging me down the corridor slightly faster this time, we began to walk towards the senior rooms, the rooms where there was only one name on the doors. Wait…

"Are you serious!" Suddenly the realisation hit. I broke free of Blaine's grip to run forward to Nathaniel, who was already standing by the door of number twenty-three – a door that had no nameplate on.

"This is about as serious as it gets." Nathaniel said smiling. Oh my Prada. Blaine had remembered – he'd remembered what I'd said about wanting to have my own room all those weeks ago when we'd been packing – he'd remembered and he'd told Nathaniel and now… Holy Marc Jacobs.

"Surely this is not allowed – I mean I'm not a senior?" Blaine had caught up with us and his smile was even wider than Nathaniel's.

"We discussed it with the other boys and they said they were happy for you to take the room as there's no new senior to fill it. But you will still follow junior rules and if you abuse this privilege it will be taken away from you."

"Oh man, no I will do whatever you say, I will have two minute showers and clean all your rooms for the rest of the term!" The two boys laughed again and I stared in wonder at the door. My door.

"Can I look inside?" Nathaniel grinned.

"Go ahead." Practically flinging the door open I gasped. The room was a similar size to mine and Artem's but as it only contained one bed that was a double. I still had a desk and a chest of drawers, as well as my very own walk in wardrobe. It was nowhere near the size of Blaine's room, but I didn't care. It was all mine.

* * *

"Wow." I felt Blaine come up behind me, his happy even breaths on my neck, and turned to hug him when suddenly another thought came into my mind.

"Oh. What about Artem?" The thought made me stop and my shoulders sag. Oh no. I couldn't leave Artem. We were such good friends – he'd be heartbroken.

"He was the first person we broached the subject with – obviously he loves having you around, but he wants you to be happy. We have another student that can replace you as his roommate if you move, but if you don't he can go to another house. Like we said it's completely your decision." I sighed deeply. I really wanted my own room – _really_ wanted it. But I had grown so used to living with Artem – I kind of liked it.

"I don't know, I just don't know…"

"Kurt?" I turned around at the sound of Nathaniel's voice and saw him pointing to something outside the room. Peering my head around I saw Artem standing a couple of paces down the corridor, scuffing the floor with his shoes. Instantly I ran forward towards him.

"Oh Artem!" Throwing my arms around him I heard him let out a squeak of surprise, so I laughed into his shoulder. "Artem are you sure you don't mind me leaving?"

"You said you want your own room before you even meet me – I am happy to give you your wish."

"Really?" For some reason I could feel tears forming in my eyes, overcome with the hundreds of different emotions I'd experienced in one day.

"But you have to come and visit me lots." Another laugh escaped my lips.

"Of course I will! I'll only be down the corridor – we can hang out all the time." Artem's face broke into a wide smile and I hugged him close again, wiping away a rogue tear that had fallen from my eye.

"Thank you." I whispered, my words directed to all three people standing around me.

"Well I guess that's settled then!" Re-producing the metal nameplate, Nathaniel began attaching it to the door, the door of my new room at Wilde.


	13. Unlucky

_Guys - this is the thirteenth chapter (hence the name Unlucky - geddit?) and from this point on the story is going to get very juicy. Seeing as my last story (Arpeggios and Woah Woahs) was only thirteen chapters this one is going to overtake it, and I would very much also like it to overtake it with reviews. So, all you Kurt, Blaine, Scott, Artem and everybody else fans - **please** review this chapter to make You Do Or You Dalton my most successful story yet!_

_Ok, I will shut up and get on with the chapter now :D _

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 13 - Unlucky**

My new room was christened officially the next day, when Blaine, Artem, Scott and I moved all my things down the hallway into it. It was sad to see my side of the old room so bare, but the new Dalton student would be arriving within the next couple of days – in the meantime I had promised Artem he could knock on my door any time I wanted. Having more space meant everything looked less cluttered – I could put up more photos of McKinley and also some newly printed off ones from Sectionals that one of the freshmen had kindly provided. There was one of Blaine and I that I was particularly fond of, when we'd embraced after our performance. I saw him looking at it too, a strange expression on his face, but when I moved to comment on it he quickly found another job.

I was beginning to wonder if it was my fault that things between Blaine and I hadn't progressed beyond friends. Maybe he was waiting for me to make the first move – maybe he was scared. Actually, I didn't think he was scared at all – I was just so desperate for it to happen I was making up all kinds of scenarios and ideas in my head. To celebrate my new abode we were going to have another Harry Potter party – but seeing as Blaine had the TV it would still be at his.

* * *

This time when I walked across the grass towards Wordsworth, I was fully prepared. Instead of my Dalton uniform, which I'd worn last time, I'd spent a good twenty minutes choosing the perfect pair of pyjamas – eventually settling for some plaid bottoms and a blue tank top (although due to the cold I'd had to slip a jacket on over the top). My hair had been perfected in front of the mirror and my skin moisturised to oblivion. If this didn't make Blaine stop and stare I didn't know what was going to.

My knock on the door was the most confident it had ever been, even though my insides felt like jelly at the prospect of what I was planning – what I'd been planning for the last day. Blaine opened the door with the same gusto but this time he stopped mid greeting.

"Greetings Mug-er…" I laughed as his voice trailed off into something unintelligible and his mouth dropped open slightly.

"Expelliarmus." I replied, a smile gracing my lips. For a second Blaine didn't say anything and my heart began to race, but he suddenly gathered himself and moved to let me come inside.

* * *

The room was decked out in the same way it had been the first time, but this time I plonked the wizard hat on my head, spinning round to model it to Blaine as he followed me inside.

"How do I look? What house do you think I would be in?" I'd made sure I'd swatted up on a lot more Harry Potter information, but this time without the help of Scott (he'd been given strict instructions to keep a hundred metres away from his Head Boy's room the whole night, or face an instant and painful death.) Blaine, who had been muttering something to himself, looked up and burbled some more.

"Well, um, probably Ravenclaw, because, um you know a lot about certain things and…" As he spoke he wandered over to the DVD player, and the sound of the machine whirring up cut him off, so I never got to hear the end of his sentence. Pretending I was fiddling around with the hat some more, I waited for Blaine to sit down on the sofa first, and then made sure I sat down next to as close as possible, without making it too obvious.

"Is what the actual sorting hat looks like in the film" I asked as I sat, down giving me another excuse to lean in further as I showed the object to him "or is this just an interpretation?"

"No, that's what it's like in the film, but obviously it's a replica." Blaine had stopped burbling but he spoke quickly. The excitement in my gut was beginning to rise.

"Oh, ok then." I turned round to face the TV, resting my head on his chest and I felt him exhale deeply, so I shivered. Well this was going much better than planned.

* * *

For the first part of the film I decided to lay off on my flirting for a bit – after all Blaine's tightness could really have been through genuine discomfort – although he made no effort to move me away from my position on him. If I thought his shoulder had been comfortable to lean on it was nothing compared to his chest. The rise and fall was almost like a lullaby and I struggled to stay fully awake. Every so often Blaine would reach forward to grab a red vine or some popcorn and I would feel his skin brush against mine – a feeling that had every inch of my body begging to touch him further. But I had to be patient.

* * *

Later on in the film the scenes were all beginning to blur together (I still much preferred Gossip Girl - at least that had scandal and fabulous outfits. In Hogwarts they just wore the same thing all the time.) so I decided to move on to the next stage of my carefully orchestrated plan, shifting my body in slightly closer to Blaine's chest.

"What's that owls name again?" I asked sleepily after a long period of silence between the two of us. He leant forward to whisper

"Hedwig" in my ear, his voice also taking on a sleepy quality and I glanced down at the hairs on his arms.

"You have such pretty arms." I stated, taking my hand and running my fingers down one of them, feeling the huge shiver that ran through both our bodies as I did so. "So soft…" Suddenly all my plans were abandoned - I could take it no longer. Flipping my body round in one motion I thrust myself towards Blaine, my lips searching for his and my mouth letting out a shout.

* * *

"AAAAH!" It was then that I realised that the shout hadn't come from me. Somehow Blaine's reflexes had been quicker than mine – he'd jerked out of the way of my kiss and as a result my face crashed into his shoulder so I yelped out in pain.

"Ow! Ow!" The room had suddenly erupted into a field of noise, me expressing my pain and Blaine still completely shocked, unable to form words.

"Kurt? What? You ok?" My head snapped up.

"Do I look ok? What was that?"

"I'm sorry." It was then that the realisation hit both of us. I'd tried to kiss Blaine – and not only had he rejected me – he'd cried out in fear. _In fear_.

"No…" Suddenly emotions hit me like a wave. Rejection, despair, regret.

"Kurt" Blaine began, his expression crumpling and his voice filling with discomfort. "It's not what it seems like-"

"-What exactly is it then? I tried to kiss you, you didn't want it."

"No, no-" In sheer desperation I flung myself at Blaine once again, hoping against hope that a sudden assault would jolt him out of his denial – that all the feelings he had for me buried deep inside him would suddenly bubble to the surface and explode. Blaine pushed me away again and I cried out in anguish.

"NO!"

"Kurt – this is not right!" Tears were beginning to stream down my face so my vision became blurred. "It's not supposed to happen like this. It's too rushed."

"_TOO RUSHED!"_ Now I was getting angry. "IT'S BEEN MONTHS!"

"Months of you only hanging with one gay guy. You've only ever seen me – how do you know I'm what you want?"

"I _want_ you Blaine!" Blaine grabbed hold of my arms to stop me advancing on him again and I screamed some more. People were probably going to be knocking on the door soon, wondering what was going on. But I would have screamed the whole building down to make him see.

"You're just saying that. There are so many different things about us, and I'm older-"

"What? So you're using the fact that you're a senior to stop us being together? Am I too much work for you Blaine? Are you too busy for me? Because you sure as hell weren't busy enough to not lead me on for all these weeks!" At this Blaine's face crumpled further, his own anguish showing and increasing mine even further. Both our arms were shaking and we gripped onto each other.

"Kurt I-" At that my resolve broke.

"NO! I am _not_ going to sit around and listen to you talk crap anymore! I'm through!" Flinging my arms away from Blaine's I jumped up, wiping the tears furiously from my eyes as I grabbed my jacket off the side of the sofa. I saw him try to get up but then rethink his actions – the last final bit of hope I'd had disappearing completely. Letting out one final scream I stomped out of the door and slammed it as hard as I could behind me.

* * *

I'd been right about my noise causing a commotion – there were five Wordsworth's peeking out of their rooms as I entered the hallway. When they saw my face however, most of them shrunk back inside, and the ones that did stay said nothing as I stalked past them, mumbling obscenities under my breath. Screw Blaine. How could he say that to me? How could he flirt with me all this time and then not want it? And the fact that he was older… Well that was what made me the maddest. The excuse was so feeble it was an insult.

For once the whipping wind outside suited my mood – fighting against it helped me to get rid of some of my aggression, as did kicking to pieces an unfortunate flowerbed that happened to get in my way. When I reached Wilde I slammed the door behind me again and jumped up the stairs two at a time. Screw Blaine, screw Blaine… I walked down the corridor trying to calm myself down, but instead of continuing past the junior rooms to my new abode stopped and turned to face a door on the right. Blaine wanted me to hang out with other gays? Well I _would_.

* * *

I could tell Gabriel was shocked when he opened the door – I don't know whether it was seeing me in my obviously riled state, or just the fact that I was there.

"Kurt!" he exclaimed, surprise in his voice. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied briskly. I noticed that he had moved further out the door towards me so he could close it and block the inside of his room from view.

"Do you want to talk-"

"Would you like to go out with me?" The longhaired boy froze.

"What?"

"You and me. A date. Would you like to do it." I watched Gabriel's emotions war with each other. Shock, confusion, delight…

"Yes. Of course. I would love to." A smile spread across his face and I managed to return it.

"Excellent. See you tomorrow." Without waiting for another response I walked the remaining metres down the hallway and shut my door behind me.


	14. Date

**Chapter 14 - Date**

"Are you ok?" I was getting sick of the question. Scott had asked me it three times now – once when we first met on the way to Trig, once when we sat down for Trig, and now, during Trig.

"_Yes_, I'm fine, never been better." I watched the eyebrows of my best friend furrow angrily once more, but didn't care. I wasn't going to budge. Obviously he had found out from the other Wordsworthians that my evening and planned shenanigans with Blaine hadn't gone down too well, but the way he was trying to make me feel better about the whole situation was only making it worse. I certainly wasn't going to relive through words the anger and hurt I had experienced from rejection, and I _certainly_ wasn't going to tell him about the revenge date I had set up with Gabriel to cope with said rejection. I wasn't planning on telling anyone about that.

"I will listen you know. I'm not a complete tool head." Ouch. That hurt. Scott had turned his head to stare down at his equation sheet and the sadness that he was actually resulting to working spread over me. For a second I thought about relenting, telling him everything, but reminded myself that if I did I would only receive a lecture and probably hurt him by lashing out anyway.

"All you need to know, is that I'm dealing with it." I replied with a half smile, trying to reach a happy medium. "But thanks."

* * *

When Trig had ended and Home Ec had been passed through in a daze I marched back to Wilde, not wanting to accidentally run into any seniors. Sadly, I had practically memorised Blaine's timetable and knew he was always too busy to even stop for coffee on a Friday, but it didn't stop my feet moving just that little bit faster and my chest relaxing when I saw my door was free from any heart-wrenching notes. The stupid thing was, I probably would have melted from a Blaine note – run over to Wordsworth and apologised for making 'such a silly assumption' – just to be with him again. But the absence of anything only reinforced my anger and made me more determined to have fun tonight.

* * *

I wasn't quite sure how to prepare for my date, seeing as I had never had a real one. For once I cursed my single room and the absence of Artem to guide me in outfit choices – but of course he couldn't be let in on the secret either. The fact I was embarrassed to tell people who I was going out with wasn't exactly a good start, but if Gabriel turned out to be some kind of God then they could find out later.

"Doo doo doo…" As I hummed to myself I casually turned on my ipod stereo – only to immediately curse and switch the song. Teenage Dream.

"I'm doing this for me." I exclaimed defiantly, internally wondering why I was trying to defend myself to a piece of plastic. "Blaine wanted me to see other people – he said." Picking out a salmon pink shirt I held it up to my torso, pondered for a minute and chucked it onto the growing pile of rejects on my bed.

* * *

When I eventually decided on my final outfit – cherry red skinny jeans, a white shirt, blue-buttoned cardigan and a bow tie to finish it off – it was nearly seven o'clock. Gabriel had insisted that he 'pick me up' so I heard the customary three knocks on my door, checked my hair one more time in the mirror and opened the door.

I have to say, he looked adorable. Gabriel had gone along the same smart casual vain as me, but looked like an English schoolboy, with a ridiculously cute argyle tank top over a crème patterned shirt and brown cords that made his legs seem like beanpoles. I was surprised I'd never noticed before how attractive he could be with a bit of confidence – of course it was nowhere near the heart-pounding beauty Blaine exuded without even trying – but he was definitely cute.

"Hi." Gabriel said in what sounded more like an exhalation than actual words. His eyes had widened briefly upon glancing me up and down, but he quickly worked to regain his composure. "Are you ready to go?"

"Sure."

* * *

The setting for our romantic evening was just outside of Westerville – Gabriel drove us in his mini, which already had me impressed, until we reached the actual restaurant. Set up like an Italian bistro the layout was basically a hive of secluded booths designed to create a ridiculously romantic atmosphere. All the waiters were authentically European and we were shown to our tables without even a sideways glance – obviously a scenario like ours was not uncommon in these parts.

I saw Gabriel was slightly upset he couldn't be a gentleman and pull out my seat for me, but he let me scoot onto the squishy seats of our booth first, slipping in opposite afterwards with an excited smile on his face,

"Do you like?" He asked. I nodded not even trying to hide my impressed expression. It really was the ideal setting for a date.

"I heard loads of great things about it, but have been waiting for the right person to take." At this he blushed and I felt my cheeks colour too, but not for the same reasons. He was really taking this evening seriously – I hoped I wasn't going to break his heart. Picking up one of the tall menus I flicked it open and glanced over the selection of dishes. Immediately my eyes were drawn towards the prices and they widened. So this was why it was so nice… Looking up slyly at Gabriel I saw he had no such reaction and figured he must be used to dining in places like this. Not everyone in Dalton had to scrape their tuition fees from the bottom of the barrel.

Guessing I was going to have to grin and bear it, I looked through the dishes and eventually settled on a risotto that looked the least expensive and not too fattening. A smartly dressed waiter who smelt strongly of expensive cologne came to take our order and when he left I leant back into my sofa, trying to fully take in the whole environment.

"So…" Gabriel began. I could tell beneath the excitement he was still really nervous – there was still an air of awkwardness that surrounded him wherever he went. "Tell me more about yourself." As I pondered the question suddenly my brain stopped. Gabriel and I knew nothing about each other. I was on a date with someone I barely knew. I guessed that he must be rich, and that everyone seemed to know about him for some reason, but other than that I was completely clueless. Tell me more about yourself… How did you answer that?

"Um…" I struggled to respond and Gabriel's expression wavered.

"You're from Lima right?"

"Yeah." I responded quickly, glad for the prompt. "My dad recently just got re-married."

"Oh. That's nice. My parents have been separated since I was five." He glanced down at the table with no real change of expression and I wondered how to respond.

"Sorry."

"Oh, I don't mind. Better them be apart and happy then together and sad." Wow. Gabriel was turning out to be a lot more insightful than I had first thought.

* * *

Our drinks arrived and I stared down into the strange translucent brown of my Diet Coke, watching the ice cubes bounce up and down before grabbing hold of my straw to take a sip.

"Is that your favourite drink?" I looked up again and saw Gabriel drinking his iced tea like he was with the Queen. Was it? I had to ponder. I knew what Blaine's favourite drink was – a virgin cosmopolitan. I also knew that his coffee order was a medium drip, his favourite film was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and his favourite actor from a TV sitcom was Benjamin McKenzie… Oh Gaga.

"Um, well I dunno, probably yeah." My answer was rushed and burbled – I couldn't believe I was thinking about Blaine during a date with another guy. I couldn't believe I was thinking about Blaine at all. Gabriel seemed to notice, but he didn't say anything, raising his glass to his lips once more and giving me the same intense stare I'd seen all those weeks ago at the Wilde gathering.

* * *

My risotto was delicious – you certainly paid for the quality but it was very well presented. Gabriel had a steak, which seemed rather odd given his frail figure, and he picked around it and nibbled carefully at his vegetables. The conversation wasn't awkward, I realised I had misjudged him slightly and there was actually a lot more to his personality than there had first seemed, but there was no spark. My thoughts about Blaine began to come more frequently and at one point I even 'accidentally' stabbed myself with my fork to stop myself from imagining how the light from the lampshade above would have reflected beautifully off his shiny black hair. The rebound hadn't worked – I was still hopelessly in love with Blaine, and hurting from it.

* * *

As we pulled into the Dalton car park I began again to re-plan how I was going to tell Gabriel I didn't want to see him again. Or rather, that I _couldn't_ see him. Every way I phrased it seemed like a kick in the teeth and as much as I knew it was impossible, I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I actually truly believed we could be friends, but of course he wasn't going to want to hear that at all. A click at my side brought me back to reality and I saw that my date had opened the car door for me. Smiling I stepped out and noticed that he was staring at me again. Maybe this was how I looked to Blaine – a hopeless, pathetic starer. Oh Marc Jacobs I didn't want to get to Wilde.

We walked the distance to Wilde in silence. The sky was dark now and I couldn't see the expression on Gabriel's face, although I did notice his hand repeatedly edge towards mine, only to return back to his side quickly. Once again the door was opened for me and my steps echoed down the corridor. We both walked past Gabriel's room (there was no way I was going to give him _that_ idea) and as I fumbled around in my pocket for my room keys I heard Gabriel take a deep breath inwards, obviously preparing to say something big.

"Listen, Gabriel, I had fun tonight but-"

"-I had fun too." Oh no. I'd tried to speak first but had started in the wrong way – Gabriel's expression had brightened and I felt my stomach sink.

"I need to be honest with you, there's just no-"

And then it happened.

Completely interrupting my flow Gabriel leant forward and pressed a kiss to my lips. But this wasn't a chaste goodbye kiss – the kind of feeble kiss I'd have expected from him if we had hit it off. This was a full on snog. By letting out an exclamation of surprise I'd opened my mouth slightly, and before I knew what was happening there was tongue licking against my teeth and exploring the inside of my mouth. It felt amazing, far more intense than any of the kisses I'd imagined Blaine and I would have. My narrow imagination had never experienced anything like it.

* * *

Caught up in the emotions I let Gabriel kiss me for a considerable time, only realising exactly what I was doing when a crashing sound behind us broke us apart. I looked over his shoulder, feeling my eyes beginning to widen as the realisation hit me, when suddenly I froze. Blaine was there. Blaine was standing less than two metres away from us, having just come out of the toilets – his mouth formed into a perfect little oh. The crashing sound had come from the vase of flowers he'd been carrying, which was now shattered on the floor beneath his feet. Oh no.

"Blaine!" My exclamation was filled with a myriad of emotions – surprise, happiness, horror, embarrassment – but to my anguish the only one that was really audible was the dazed sound as I got my mouth to work on its own again. Blaine didn't respond, he didn't seem able to move from his horrified position. His hands were frozen still holding an imaginary vase and as I looked down at the flowers I realised in despair that they were lilies. My favourite.

"Blaine!" This time I sounded more desperate – the full realisation of what was now happening hitting me fully. Blaine had walked out of the toilets, probably just about to knock on my door and ask for forgiveness with my favourite flowers, and seen me kissing, no, _making out_ with another guy.

"Kurt? What's wrong?" Gabriel was talking but I couldn't tear my eyes away from Blaine's, watching him reel in shock and anger. "Kurt?" I felt a hand on my arm and cringed, knowing what that would look like, what Gabriel thought it meant.

"Um, Blaine and I need to have a talk." At this I saw Blaine's expression finally break out of its hold, but only as he began to turn around to leave.

"No!" Leaping out to grab his arm I heard the crunch of glass beneath my feet. Luckily he stopped but our eyes didn't meet.

"Do you want me to stay? I can stay if you want…" Now Gabriel looked wary, but for once I didn't care about hurting his feelings.

"No, you should go." Without saying any more I turned back to Blaine and I heard a 'hmph' behind me as my date trudged away to his room.

* * *

"Blaine…" I began to talk as soon as the corridor was empty, but all at once Blaine flicked his arm violently so it broke free of my hand and stepped backwards, fire in his eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL KURT? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" My eyes had widened in surprise and it only seemed to make him madder, for a second I didn't even know how to respond.

"It's not what it looks like-"

"-Oh! So you expect me to see you _MAKING OUT_ with another guy and just take it?"

"We went on a date, I didn't know he was going to kiss me!"

"YOU WENT ON A _DATE_? WITH _GABRIEL_?" I was completely confused. Blaine looked like he was about to punch a wall and in his violent movements was kicking the glass further across the floor. Suddenly I stopped defending myself. This was awfully familiar…

"Wait – are you mad at me?" Hazel eyes looked at me incredulously.

"OF COURSE I'M MAD!"

"But you told me I should see other people." At this he stopped. Confusion briefly graced his perfect features, before they creased up again into anger.

"Not like this! And not so soon!" No. This was not happening. Blaine was not doing this.

"Are you jealous?" I asked the question without any of the humour I normally would have. His expression wavered slightly.

"No!"

"Because if I remember correctly – _you_ were the one that rejected _me._" Now he understood. And I understood too.

"You can't just come and go as you please Blaine – I'm a person too."

"I'm not-"

"-Yes you are! Of course you are! _You_ said you didn't want me, that we were too different, but now you're having a go at me for moving on!" Oh no – moving on was not the right choice of words. Blaine's expression was warring with himself – I kept seeing flashes of different things and if I wasn't so angry myself might have been scared.

"Kurt stop doing this."

"You either want me or you don't!" My anger was building now, boiling up inside of me at Blaine's hypocrisy. How could he not understand?

"It doesn't work like that."

"YES IT DOES! STOP MAKING EXCUSES YOU INCONSIDERATE ASS! I WILL _NOT_ HAVE YOU MESS WITH MY FEELINGS ANYMORE! IS THIS ALL A GAME FOR YOU BLAINE? DO YOU ENJOY PLAYING ME?"

* * *

Suddenly everything changed. Something in Blaine flipped – I don't know if I finally pissed him off enough to make him let rip, of if the wool had been pulled away from his eyes. But it happened.

"Maybe I do!" My whole body froze.

"What?"

"You heard me! Maybe I enjoy playing you!" I couldn't respond. Blaine had stepped forward, but for once I didn't want him to. His voice was filled with malice and his expression frightening.

"No…"

"_Maybe_ this was all just a game, right from stage one! _Maybe_ when I saw you on those stairs I saw a feeble little boy who would make a fun little challenge! _Maybe _I let you believe that I liked you, that I _loved_ you, but now I'm BORED!" My whole body felt like ice. This wasn't happening, this wasn't happening… Blaine and I were friends…

"No… You don't mean it…" I could barely speak, my words all mumbling together as panic ripped through me. I waited for Blaine's expression to change, for his cruel sneer to fall away and be replaced with a joking smile. This had to be a joke right? Oh I was going to kill him for teasing me like this…

"I'm BORED Kurt! YOU BORE ME!" Blaine continued to shout, every syllable like a stake in my heart. He wasn't joking. His voice was filled with anger and pain but I couldn't even concentrate on it anymore.

"_I never liked you_."

* * *

And that was it.

* * *

"Get out." Blaine looked up. His whole body was still shaking from his anger, but for a split second he seemed confused.

"Get out." I tried to stop the tears from spilling from my eyes, tried to stop my humiliation showing in front of the guy that had not only broken my heart, but stamped and trodden on it until it was unrecognisable.

"GET OUT!" Now I was shaking – uncontrollable shakes that rippled through me and made me feel sick. I felt sick. The tears were falling fast now and I couldn't see anything.

"Ok, I'm going."

"_GET OUT_!" I didn't seem to be able to say anything else – every time my voice became more high pitched and horrendous, until I was practically shrieking it as Blaine turned to walk down the corridor. Somehow I still wanted him to stop, to tell me this had all been a big mistake, that he did love me. Footsteps echoed around the corridor and I screamed some more.

"_GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!_" Eventually my sobs overtook the screaming so the sound died away into sickening gurgles. Tears filled my mouth and I began to choke, falling down onto my knees and resting my head onto the cold wooden floor.


	15. Withdraw

**Chapter 15 - Withdraw**

I didn't know how I got into my bed, I only knew I didn't want to move from it. My face was stuck to my sheets from the tears that had fallen all night and I pulled myself upwards to stare bleary-eyed around my room. I was still dressed in my clothes from the night before, even down to my shoes, and the things I'd knocked off my desk and shelves from stumbling to my bed were still strewn across the floor. Oh hell.

* * *

It was funny how I'd thought coming to Dalton would solve all my problems. McKinley had been the unsafe ground, tainted by the leering figure of Karofsky behind every corner, waiting to slam me into a locker. I'd thought Dalton would be a safe haven free of any pain and suffering where I could finally be myself. Well compared to this, the bruises on my elbows would have been like kisses from angels.

How could Blaine do this to me? How could he have been so cruel? I'd never even thought it was possible for him to be unkind to anyone, although if everything had been an act then there were probably hundreds of things I didn't know about him. The realisation that everything had been a lie – the meaningful chats over coffee, the way he had driven miles to stand up for me, the loving looks and embraces we'd shared, even the new room I was now dying in – it was too much to handle. I didn't think it was possible for a heart to break multiple times, but it had.

* * *

Just as I hauled myself fully upright to check the time the door shook from heavy knocking once again and I groaned. Gabriel wouldn't go away. He'd been trying to get in all morning but I wasn't responding. Lady Gaga herself could request a private meeting with me right now and I wouldn't unlock the door. I didn't want anyone to see me like this. Wiping my eyes furiously to get rid of the blurry film I glanced over at my clock and saw it was nearly noon. Jeez, how had I slept that long? I suppose I'd actually spent most of the night crying, sobbing until I felt like every bit of fluid in my body had been drained, so had probably only managed to drift off in the early hours of the morning. It was funny how other things ran out eventually, but tears always seemed in constant supply.

"Kurt? Let me in!" Please. Go away. Facing Gabriel was the least of my problems right now. I guessed everybody in Wilde would have heard our argument, and my next-door neighbours would definitely have experienced the pain fest afterwards. Taking one step out of my room just wasn't an option right now.

* * *

Suddenly I heard footsteps approaching from the left and another voice outside my door.

"Gabriel, what's going on? Students are complaining about the noise." Nathaniel sounded tired – maybe he'd been kept up too.

"Kurt won't open his door – him and Blaine had an argument and now he's not responding to anything." There was a brief silence as Nathaniel did something that I couldn't hear. All of a sudden a loud sound emanated from my bedside table and I looked over to see my phone vibrating, the name Nathaniel flashing up on the screen. I ignored it and let it go to voicemail, new shudders of pain running through me as I remembered that Blaine had been sitting by me when I'd recorded the message, trying to put me off. Nathaniel didn't bother to leave anything and I saw the missed call total flash up to seven, adding to the ones Gabriel had sent me.

"Well he's either asleep or ignoring us, do you know what happened?"

"Him and I went out last night and Blaine wasn't very happy about it. I think he told Kurt about how he's been using him for fun." Wait – so Gabriel knew? Why hadn't he told me? Did he realise this was going to happen? Oh hell, I couldn't trust anyone anymore. I didn't even know if Artem liked me, if he was actually fluent in English and had just been messing with me the whole time.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Nathaniel seemed puzzled and for a second my spirits rose slightly.

"Blaine said he never liked Kurt, that it was all a game. Then Kurt told him to get out." A deep sigh rang out the other side of the door and I buried my head in my pillow again, the cotton texture rubbing against my raw face.

"I know what might help. Stay here and call me if anything happens." The footsteps died away and I heard Gabriel knock at my door again, this time more feebly.

"Come on Kurt, we have to talk about this. And I'm here for you. I miss you…" Prada help me.

* * *

It was a good ten minutes before Nathaniel returned, but when he did I knew exactly what his plan was.

"Kurt?" The voice was unmistakeable and for once I immediately responded, sitting bolt upright on the bed.

"Kurt buddy are you awake?" Scott didn't bother to knock on the door, just rested on it and spoke directly into the wood. My brain immediately began warring with itself – I wanted desperately to let him in but knew if I opened the door I would have to deal with Gabriel and everything else. As the three boys outside talked to each other I pondered for a while, before suddenly inspiration hit me. Grabbing hold of my phone I somehow managed to jab out a message and sent it to him, hoping to Louis Vuitton that he had his with him. Outside the sound of a phone buzzing rang out. Scott stood away from the door and fumbled around to retrieve it.

"It's from Kurt." Instantly everyone else moved forward. "He says he wants to let me in but nobody else can come." An annoyed squeak rang out that I assumed was from Gabriel, but surprisingly he didn't put up much of a fight.

"Ok Kurt." Scott said, back against the door. "Only Nathaniel and Gabriel are here and they've moved away. I promise. You can open the door." Slowly I pushed myself up onto to my feet, letting out a soft cry when I realised I could barely stand. Stumbling over to the door I leant against it for a couple of seconds, taking deep breaths to try and gather myself. Scott could hear me.

"It's ok. I'm here. Let me in…" After one final breath I turned the lock and slowly opened the door so the light from the corridor spilled in. I stopped when there was just enough of a gap for Scott to slip in and he did so quickly, helping me push the door shut behind him. For a second he just started at me, before his expression crumpled.

"Oh God, Kurt." He reached forward towards me and suddenly my floodgates opened again. Tears streamed down my face as I wrapped my arms round him and buried my face in his shoulder, guttural sobs spilling out of my mouth unevenly so my whole body shook and convulsed.

"Kurt, Kurt, sssh…" Scott rocked me backwards and forwards and I cried harder, wanting to get it all out.

* * *

We stood there for a good minute or so, not really saying anything other than the same few phrases over and over again. When I finally felt too exhausted to cry anymore I simply pulled myself in closer, holding on tightly so one of Scott's hands reached up to gently stroke my hair.

"Sssh, its ok, sssh…" The movement calmed me slightly and I felt myself relax, but I still wouldn't let go of him.

"Let's sit down." Gradually, I allowed him to push us across the room, stepping over all the debris until we both sat down on the bed. Scott rested back against the headboard and I immediately went to curl up next to him, but he pushed me so we faced each other.

"What are you doing Kurt?" It wasn't the response I'd been expecting. My eyes stared blankly back.

"This isn't the Kurt I know. The Kurt I know is strong." I felt a hand rubbing on my shoulder but still didn't know how to respond.

"What happened?" Now I knew I had to speak. I made an attempt to move my lips but all that came out was a mumble. The last words I'd spoken had been my cries to Blaine as he'd left.

"Come on, you can talk to me."

"Blaine doesn't want me." It sounded pathetic, but I was also making a real effort not to break down again. Scott sighed.

"Well we know _that's_ not true."

"He said, he said…" I went to speak again but had to fight to bring up the courage. "!" In a rush the words tumbled out of my mouth and I buried my head into Scott again, sobbing dryly.

"What?" Once again I was pulled up again to face him.

"He's been messing with me this whole time! He never had any feelings for me he just wanted to screw me around! He doesn't even like me!" I could feel tears brimming in my eyes again (how on earth was that still possible?) but Scott stopped me. His expression now looked annoyed.

"Well that's the biggest piece of bullcrap I've ever heard. Blaine is _crazy_ about you." Such a phrase would normally have made my heart leap, but now it only stuck the knife in deeper. Even he was fooled.

"You didn't see him. He was so angry. And so mean…"

"Is this about what happened on Thursday?" I grit my teeth, knowing I was going to have to come clean.

"On Thursday, we had a fight. Blaine said he wasn't ready to be with me and I got pissed. Then I went out with Gabriel and-"

"-WHAT?" I'd tried to gloss over it, but to no avail. Scott looked completely dumbstruck. "You went out with _Gabriel_?" Great.

"Yeah. It was a silly idea I know, but I was upset. Anyway, Blaine came to apologise just as we got back and he saw us kissing," I tactfully ignored the choking noise that spilled from my best friend's mouth "so he was really pissed. But I said he couldn't have it both ways, rejecting me but then wanting me again, and then…" I couldn't say any more. Scott managed to get over his reaction to Gabriel and I and sighed, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head.

"Oh man. We are in some doo-doo. But what were you thinking with-?"

"-Don't." This was why I hadn't told him. Scott always seemed to be right in these kind of situations and it annoyed me. Bringing my legs up towards my chest I moved so I was sitting next to him. I didn't feel like dying anymore, but I was still exhausted and my face burned with the rawness.

"I don't know what to do. I've screwed up everything."

"Not everything. You haven't broken any bones, which is probably what I would have done." A small laugh escaped from my lips. How was I laughing? "But you _cannot_ sit in here and mope all day." Now my expression fell again, my head flashing to the side.

"No! You can't make me go out there! Gabriel…"

"Is probably listening in right now. Don't you think he deserves an explanation? I know he's a weirdo, but still." Gaga. He was right again.

"Just let me get myself cleaned up." I got to my feet to walk to the mirror and tweak my hair, but let out a cry of anguish before I'd done anything. I looked _TERRIBLE._ My face was like a tomato, the areas around my eyes puffed and sore and there were tearstains everywhere. My hair was matted together and my lips were cracked and dry. It was my worst nightmare.

"Holy Marc Jacobs I cannot go out like this!" Turning back around to Scott I pointed madly at my face and saw he understood. "Please give me some time to sort myself out – we can watch the football or something." Now that was an offer he would find hard to refuse. I saw my friend's face ponder the suggestion warily, before finally nodding in approval and getting up to bring my laptop over to the bed. Phew.

* * *

Grabbing some face wipes I sat back down on the bed as Scott surfed the web for his football site, but suddenly another wave of tiredness swept over me and I yawned.

"Hand over your mouth." He said with a smile, but I saw his eyebrows furrow with worry again.

"I'm so tired." I replied, my voice becoming slow and laboured. Without even realising I lay down so my head was resting on Scott's stomach, and as he stroked the hair out of my eyes again I felt myself slowly drifting off to sleep.


	16. Dream

**Chapter 16 - Dream**

"Kurt?" Slowly I opened my eyes. My room was tidy again – I wondered how Scott had managed to get up without me noticing and what had possessed him to do any kind of household chore.

"Kurt?" Wait a second. That wasn't Scott's voice… My head flashed round like lightening and when I saw the figure sitting on my bed my heart leapt.

"Hello." Blaine smiled and I felt my whole body melt. He was still wearing his Dalton uniform but his hair wasn't gelled so the curls spilled around his head in an uneven fashion. One of his hands was fiddling with the Head Boy badge on his lapel and the other was still stroking my hair. Oh Gaga, he was stroking it. Man that felt so good…

"Did you sleep well?" Turning round to face him properly I accidentally knocked his hand off my head, but he brought it back to skim the skin of my neck and make me shiver with pleasure.

"Yeah." I replied dreamily, staring into those wonderful eyes as they stared back. "But I had the most horrible dream, that you told me you never liked me. That you'd been playing a game the whole time. I'm so glad it wasn't real." Blaine brought his hand up to my face and traced the outline of my lips before he replied.

"Oh, it was real." Suddenly I stopped.

"What?"

"It was all real. You're dreaming right now." I sat more upright, my expression panicked. Blaine didn't seem to notice my concern and brushed his fingers along my jaw line.

"This is the closest you're ever going to get to me. In your dreams." He smiled and I suddenly felt a tear roll down my cheek. I hadn't even realised I'd started crying but all of a sudden I couldn't stop. Blaine was still smiling, a blank emotionless smile, and I realised this wasn't the real Blaine – this was the Blaine I'd conjured up in my brain, the one that I thought cared about me. I watched him wipe a tear dripping from my chin before leaning forward, his lips pursed.

"I never really liked you Kurt. Only in your dreams…"

* * *

I sat bolt upright, knocking my computer lead onto the floor with a crash. Luckily Scott had moved my actual computer back onto my desk, so I didn't have any other casualties, but at that point I wouldn't have cared. I could feel tear tracks on my face, so they had been real, but nothing else had. I was alone in my room.

"It was all a dream Kurt…" I mumbled hastily to myself, trying to calm down but not really succeeding. "It was all a dream…" Sitting up properly I heard a crumple as my leg squashed something and I looked down to see a note had been placed beside me on the bed, obviously from Scott.

_Hey buddy, I had to go because you were snoring over the football and every guy needs to go to the bathroom at some point. I will be back to check on you in the evening and if you're not showered and changed you are going to be in BIG trouble. I told Gabriel that you really didn't want to talk to anyone right now so hopefully he should stay away, but you will have to speak to him at some point. Stay strong. Scott._

A smile graced my face, How had I been blessed with such a good friend? I don't know what I would have done if Scott hadn't been there to help. Glancing over at my clock again I saw in shock that it read 7:45pm and so jumped up to get ready. My feet banged against some books that had fallen off my desk and I picked them up, also gathering together the discarded clothes.

* * *

At first the shower was painful against my sore skin, but gradually I allowed myself to step further into the flow and let the warmth seep through me. Closing my eyes I imagined I was standing in my bathroom at home – Carole would be downstairs making nachos, Dad would be tinkering with our car in the garage, Finn would be watching the football and shoving the first portion of nachos Carole had made into his mouth at lightening speed. Rachel might be downstairs too, thinking about her next solo or pretending to listen to Finn, and Mercedes was always a phone call away. Oh man I missed them. I missed Lima. I wasn't a quitter and knew there was no option for me to return to McKinley anyway – but right now I wished more than anything that I could be standing in our power shower with the silver taps instead of this one.

The sound of the timer beeping jerked me back to reality and I opened my eyes without thinking, making me cry out as the water crashed down and momentarily blinded me. Rubbing furiously at my face I turned the shower off and stepped out to get my clothes.

* * *

Somehow I'd managed to get to and from the bathroom without meeting any other Wildeians and I shut my door quickly behind me, slightly cringing at the fact this was very much a good thing. I'd also noticed that the floor had been cleared of broken vase and flowers very swiftly – in fact if it wasn't for the slight water stain on the wooden floor it there would be no evidence that anything had even happened at all. Once inside I picked up a few more things off the floor and felt around for my hairdryer, switching it on and pointing it directly at my face. The warm air was again very soothing and I had to actually remind myself to dry my hair before it did it naturally. When I finally switched it off there was a knock at the door and with perfect timing I opened it to reveal Scott.

"Ah." He looked impressed that I'd actually followed his instructions. Glancing down at his hands I saw he was carrying an array of things, including a stack of DVDs, a huge bottle of Diet Coke and several different packets of crisps.

"I brought supplies!" He said with a grin, lifting his arms so one of the packets nearly fell off. My arm jerked out instinctively making him laugh, and he pushed past me to dump everything on the bed.

"I guess we're watching movies then?" I asked, also grinning.

"Yeah. I brought quite a few so you could choose." Walking over to the bed I looked over Scott's shoulder and glanced at the DVDs he'd brought. My nose scrunched up in disappointment.

"Action movies?" Scott turned around and shot me a sarcastic look.

"You really want to sit through one of those lovey-dovey rom-coms you and Blaine love so much?" He had a point. Not bothering to look at any of the titles I randomly stabbed my finger at one and Scott picked it up, nodding in approval.

"Die Hard. Good choice." Once again grabbing my laptop like we had joint ownership he inserted the DVD and chucked a packet of crisps in my direction, laughing as I flailed to catch it.

"Enjoy."

* * *

The rest of the evening was spent watching guys get blown apart in the grossest and most overly dramatic ways possible and eating so much rubbish I thought my insides were going to explode. Unlike Blaine, Scott didn't bother to tell me intricate details about the plot, but he did shout loudly and clap when any really cool explosions happened, or a 'hot girl' appeared on the screen. It was the most heterosexual night I had ever experienced. But I had fun.

The next day was also filled with Scott-related laughs – this time from the incredibly stupid racing game he brought to show me on his laptop (oh, he actually had one, wow) that I still, no matter how many times I practiced, totally sucked at. I was also invited back to room nineteen to meet the newest Wilde recruit – Artem's new roommate Stefan. Also from Europe, with a slightly different but equally strong accent, the two had hit it off almost immediately and I felt a burst of pride surge through me when Artem introduced his new buddy to Vogue magazine for the first time. Getting through the days with such good friends in the comfort of Wilde was never going to be a problem. The test would come when I was forced to exit the safety of my house building and begin lessons again.

* * *

Monday.

I had been dreading it. Obviously Blaine and I had no lessons together, and I wasn't going to be stupid enough to walk anywhere near the senior common room, but there was no guarantee I wouldn't see him. Monday also signalled the point where I couldn't ignore or hide from Gabriel anymore. I had to talk to him and I had to make things clear. As soon as I had stepped out of my door in the early hours of the morning he had been there, his expression still holding that sickening puppy dog look that had me feeling like the Grinch.

"Hey Kurt, are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah, heaps, thanks. I have to go to class now but I'll talk to you later ok?" Great start.

Now I was sitting in Spanish, having worked my way through a relatively pain-free Trig lesson that had mainly been spent watching Scott and Conners exchange barbed comments. A couple of the Wordsworth boys were looking at me funny – I'd noticed it out of the corner of my eye as I sat quietly mumbling verbs to myself, but I suppose that was to be expected.

"Hey, Kurt, do you know what's up with Blaine?" Glancing up from my book I saw Jimmy Filan, a boy I'd spoken to a couple of times, swinging back on his chair to whisper to me while Miss Breamhold had her back turned to the class.

"He's been mad with everyone recently, cutting our shower time and everything. Has he said anything to you?"

"_Back off_ Filan." Suddenly Scott's voice hissed out into the conversation, the severity of his tone taking me by surprise.

"_Scott_." I said warily, placing my hand lightly on his to show it was ok before turning back to Jimmy. "Blaine and I aren't really talking anymore because we had a fight. I'm not sure if that's the reason, but it could be that."

"Oh, ok. Thanks." Jimmy turned back to his work and I shot Scott another look. It was nice he was being protective, but I was going to have to face up to it sometime.

Wow. Wasn't I being grown up.

* * *

At the end of Spanish Scott was back to his old self, telling me a story about how he'd managed to get a paperclip stuck in his ear when he was seven (even now the things he told me still took me by surprise). We walked out into the corridor laughing when I was suddenly met with the sight of Gabriel, who had been standing outside our classroom waiting for us to finish. He'd been _waiting_.

"Hey Kurt!" He said again, in exactly the same tone I'd heard this morning, I looked briefly at Scott, who shot me a 'talk to him' look before swiftly exiting the area, leaving us alone.

"Hi Gabriel." For a second we both stood there in silence, me wondering how to start, before we both started speaking at the same time.

"Oh, you go first." Gabriel said, blushing a light crimson colour that reminded me of our date. And that kiss…

"I think we should go somewhere a bit quieter to talk about this." Moving quickly to avoid many people seeing us I grabbed hold of Gabriel's shoulder and began to push him down the corridor towards a more secluded area. My brain had begun to run through the rejection possibilities so I wasn't concentrating and as we turned the corner I nearly crashed into a group of seniors walking the other way. Seniors…

My eyes immediately flashed up. He was there. For a second Blaine and I locked eye contact, our stares boring into each other with an intensity that almost had me inhaling sharply. Then I watched the hazel eyes move to look at my hand, then Gabriel. Blaine's eyebrows furrowed and he turned to talk to one of his friends, completely ignoring both of us. My heart sank.

"Kurt?" As the sound of footsteps died away behind me I turned back to Gabriel, who now looked concerned again. "Ignore Blaine. He's an ass." Normally to hear such words from such a boy would have surprised me, but I had run out of energy to care. I'd been so happy yesterday. I thought I was fine, I thought I could cope without having Blaine in my life. But seeing that face, those eyes, those lips again – it brought it all back.

"I have to go." Without even waiting for a response I stalked off down the corridor, fighting against the tears that once again pricked against my eyelids.


	17. Dance

_Early chapter for you all! Well aint I nice :D_

* * *

**Chapter 17 - Dance**

Thursday morning did not start well.

Stepping into the shower I could already feel the pent up anger and frustration building up inside of me, drowned out momentarily by the sound of the power turning on and the water gushing down onto my head. I'd somehow managed to get through the past couple of days without completely breaking down, and had only two more to battle until the winter holidays - but today was the day of the Dalton ball. Not only would I have to cope with seeing Blaine all day, I would also have to hide my emotions in front of a crowd of several hundreds. I was upset about how much this was affecting me, how little it seemed to be hurting Blaine. If he was able to turn his feelings off so easily then maybe it _had_ all been a game.

The water wasn't hot enough. I turned the temperature handle to the left, feeling the temperature heat up, but not to my satisfaction. I turned it some more, steam spilling out into the enclosed space. Still not hot enough. Pushing the handle right to the end I sighed, before the temperature suddenly turned to scalding and I jumped back with a shout. Great. Already nothing was going right.

"Hey? Are you alright?" Ignoring the concerned shout of another Wildeian, I turned the handle marginally and stepped back into the flow, not really caring that it was turning my skin bright pink. If I suffered severe burns I definitely wouldn't be able to dance – I could sit alone all day and be cared for by some nice nurse. But not going would be even worse than suffering through it. If I hid then Blaine really _had_ won.

"_Oh Blaine_." Suddenly out of nowhere I felt tears falling from my face again, mingling with the shower water and feeling icy in comparison. Surely I couldn't keep doing this? Surely I'd run out of tears to cry? I hit my hands against the sides of the cubicle, trying to knock some sense into myself, but it only made me hurt more. Pull yourself together Hummel…

The sound of the timer signalling the end of my five minutes rang out, but I wasn't ready to leave. I was going to stay in here all day – maybe open my mouth and let the water flow in until it filled me up completely, curl up in the corner and cry myself to sleep…

"Hey, your time's up." A voice sounded from outside my cubicle and without thinking I lashed out.

"I don't CARE about my freakin TIME!" Thrashing my hand violently backwards I smashed the timer off the wall and watched it crash to the floor, shattering into hundreds of pieces. The person outside the door went to speak again but I cut him off.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Immersing my head fully into the flow I let the sound of the rushing water fill my ears and closed my eyes, willing everything to stop.

* * *

There was nobody in the showers when I finally exited my cubicle, but I had no doubt somebody would be informed of my rule breaking. Realising I didn't have much time to get ready I ran to my room and shoved on my Dalton uniform, a process made slightly slower due to the sensitivity of my scalded skin.

* * *

When I reached the main hall preparations were already in full swing. The St Jades girls had arrived and everyone was prepping themselves and their uniforms. I cautiously stepped through the mêlée, not really sure where I was supposed to go, or if I wanted to go there, until I was suddenly grabbed by Steven.

"_There_ you are! Everyone's been looking for you!" Yanking me off to another part of the hall I saw the other dancers that were taking part in the final waltz gathered in a corner, including Cynthia, whose face brightened as soon as she saw me.

"Oh Kurt! You're here!" Running over and enveloping me in a tight hug I felt the wind get knocked out of me and gasped out for more air. She didn't seem to notice however, and kept a firm hold of me, finally letting go after a minute or so.

"I thought you weren't coming, you certainly scared us all. Hey, are you hot?" For a second the sudden question surprised me, before I remembered that my skin was still showing my hot shower.

"You look really flushed. Or are you just happy to see me?" Cynthia smiled, flirtily running her hand down my chest and I groaned inwardly. Did she have the memory of a goldfish? Either that or she was choosing to conveniently ignore my sexuality. At this point though I would have given anything to be straight – as glancing over her shoulder at the other dancers brought me once again in the eye line of Blaine. Gaga he looked beautiful when he dressed up. I'd sometimes debated whether I preferred dapper smart Blaine or unruly casual Blaine, but had never managed to completely pick a favourite, always preferring the one I had seen last. This look was definitely picking up a few points for the former – it made my heart physically ache to think I could never look upon him in completely the same way ever again. As soon as our eyes met Blaine instantly looked away, turning to Xavier and mumbling something to him that I couldn't make out. So he was even friends with Xavier now – this really was a side I'd never seen before.

"Excellent. Now that everyone is here we can go through the briefing one final time." As Mr Cox went through the important things we would need to know for our big moment I felt myself drifting off, all his words merging into one long continuous sound. Maybe it was wrong for me to be taking this opportunity away from someone else, maybe I should withdraw. To do that now though would probably only create more questions and I wanted to draw as little attention to myself as possible. Well, less that I already had.

* * *

The dance started and I wasn't given any more time to sulk – thrown into a series of steps and twirls that I'm surprised I even remembered, let alone executed to an appropriate standard. Cynthia kept staring at me adoringly, especially during the more romantic dances and she reminded me of Gabriel. Thankfully I hadn't managed to spot him amongst the throngs of people, but I knew it would only be a matter of time before we would meet again. Despite this, it was, in fact, hard to focus on anyone but myself, which surprisingly I found rather nice and the hour whiled away far quicker than I would have liked.

It was only when the final waltz drew near that I began to feel sick again. Everyone cleared the floor and the other nine couples gathered near us, Xavier and Nathaniel leading the pack with an air of confidence that had everyone staring. The only person I could look at however was Blaine. _Don't do it_ I said to my self over and over again, _don't make it worse for yourself._ But I couldn't not. I watched him dance around the room like an angel, the concentration on his face making him look strong and masterful. My focus on him was so fierce that I fumbled one of my steps, treading on Cynthia's toe, and she let out an indignant squeak, pulling me back towards her roughly.

"_Kurt_! You need to _lead_." She hissed. I could feel the despair welling up in me again. That dark skinned girl he was dancing with, Tamara or whatever her name was, she was a _girl_, and she was going to get closer to Blaine than I ever would. She was going to feel his hands round her waist and his breath on her face as they shared a magical moment together, lost in their own emotions. I was never going to get that – and the emotions I had experienced now felt cheap and fake since the truth had been revealed.

* * *

Finally the dance came to a close – to anyone else it had been a spectacular affair, with all the dancers joining in after we had set the ball rolling for a minute or so, the twinkling lights and moving music creating a magical finale. To me however, it had been a nightmare. As soon as we stopped I tried to get away, desperate to run back to my room and cry my feelings out again, but this time Cynthia wasn't going to let me go that easily.

"Kurt? Where are you going? You don't have Warbler practice, I know that." Jeez, why did they get clever at the worst possible points? "You have to come to the party!" Not even giving me time to respond she fastened her hand tightly around mine and dragged me off towards her friends, who were already discussing the after show gathering we were all heading to.

* * *

Wanting to put across a good impression – Darwin hosted the post-ball party. If I'd thought Nathaniel's organisational skills were good, it was nothing to what Xavier and his loyal band of snobs had put together. The common room was decked out like the hall had been, even with similar music – although this came from another ipod speaker instead of a live band. I wouldn't have been surprised if one of the Darwins had whipped out a violin and started playing along himself. There was what looked like champagne but was probably sparkling water floating around in tall glasses and Cynthia immediately zoned in on the trays of canapés, helping herself to rather more than was polite. My eyes scanned the room for a friendly face but I couldn't see any – most people were still queuing by the door. (The only reason I'd got in so quickly was because I was part of the final waltz group – everyone else had to be on a guest list. Yes, a _guest list._) I hoped to death that Scott would get in because I didn't think I could cope with any more excitable girls without him. Cynthia's friends were very much like her, all obsessed with horses and boys. We couldn't even talk about fashion because most of the brands they wore I'd never heard of and of course, they were all convinced I wasn't gay.

Staring into space I realised I'd accidentally looked yet again in Blaine's direction. (I was beginning to curse my eyes for seeming to know where he was at all times. Or my brain – I couldn't be sure which was to blame.) His partner was still hanging around with him, but she was talking to Xavier, who had a smirk on his face the size of Texas. Now that Blaine and I were no longer friends, I really saw how old he was. Standing there with the other seniors, engaging in polite and probably very pretentious conversation, he looked at least four years older than me. Like an adult. I wondered if I'd been silly to even think a guy like him would want to be friends with me, let alone have romantic feelings. Older mature people knew how to play games, they knew how to control their feelings so they didn't get hurt. Young people didn't. Young people got their feelings trampled on because they hadn't learnt yet that generally things don't turn out like they do in the movies. In real life the Prince Charming usually turns out to be a complete asshole.

Maybe in ten years or so I'd look back on this point and laugh at how silly I'd been, how everything had seemed so dramatic and intense. But right now I was beginning to wish I was still in love with Finn.

"So Kurt, do you have a girlfriend?" I felt a sharp tug on my hand and was brought back to reality, the stare of a pretty girl with ringlets in her hair boring into me.

"Er, no." I replied, wondering how much sarcasm would be appropriate to put into my tone. "I'm gay."

"What?" Suddenly four flawless faces were facing my way.

"Didn't Cynthia tell you?" All the girls turned to look at my partner, who for once was not giving me an adoring stare.

"Um, I don't remember."

"Wait, so are you _gay_ gay or just curious? Because I'd be happy to help you make your mind up…" I felt another hand snake up towards my chest and finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Look, girls. I'm sure you're all lovely people and will find your Prince Charming and live happily ever after. But I'm GAY and I'm leaving." Without saying another word I turned and walked away, heading for the exit that would take me away from Blaine and this farce of a party.

* * *

Throwing open the doors I marched into the corridor, surprised to see even that packed with people who hadn't been able to squeeze into the main room. I pushed through the crowds that thickened as you approached the door and eventually broke free into the cold evening air of outside. A long and loud exhale of air released itself from my mouth. I was about to stop and take a breather before I made my way back to Wilde, when I heard a shout behind me and turned round to feel my heart sink.

"Kurt! Wait!" Gabriel was running over, too quickly for me to try and get away without looking incredibly rude. He seemed to have lost his partner, and from the looks of it, had been following me through the crowds.

"Gabriel I-" I began to make my excuse, but he cut me off.

"-Are you ok? You look terrible." For once, he was probably right. I felt terrible. "Is it about Blaine? Because I saw him looking at us funny when we left." When _we_ left. Man, I needed to tell him the truth.

"Gabriel you've got the wrong impre-"

"-Let's go back to mine, we can watch a movie like you and Scott did. I have pyjamas you can borrow-" I felt his hand take mine, fingers stroking my knuckles and my fists balled up in frustration.

"-GABRIEL YOU ARE NOT LISTENING!" The sudden outburst shocked him, his body jerked back in defence and immediately guilt rushed over me. But at least I had his attention.

"You asked me if it was Blaine that's made me upset – yes it is. Blaine has upset me, he's broken me. I don't think I can put myself back together for a while."

"Let me help you Kurt-

"-You can't help-"

"-Yes I can – I love you!"

"But I love _Blaine_!" I was surprised how Gabriel's declaration hadn't even registered. I watched his expression crumble, his hand dropping away from mine to hang limply by his side.

"I've always loved Blaine, even when he's said the most hurtful things and made me feel useless. I thought being with you would make things better, and for that I'm truly sorry, but it didn't. I will always love Blaine, and there's nothing anyone can ever do about it."

Silence settled over us. The sound of the party was faint, carried away by the winds that blew our clothes and hair about. I noticed a shadow outside Darwin that looked like a person, but it quickly disappeared into the gloom and I shook my head, thinking I must have imagined it. Glancing back at Gabriel I saw tears had begun to fall down his face – the realisation that I had now done to him what Blaine had done to me sending a stab of pain into my gut. I held out a comforting hand and to my surprise he took it, pulling it in close to press against his chest.

"I still love you Kurt." He mumbled in between tears. "Make sure you remember that." I opened my mouth to speak but like a flash he was gone, running away into the dark night. Standing on my own in the silence I pressed my fingers to my forehead and wondered how on earth things had turned out like this.


	18. Cookies

**Chapter 18 - Cookies**

I'd never have imagined I would have been this happy to be going back to Lima. I could practically feel my heart beginning to race at the thought of being able to talk to Mercedes again, to gossip about the trivial dramas of New Directions instead of the real ones at Dalton. When I saw Dad I was going to give him the biggest hug on the planet – I'd missed him more than anyone. I was folding my socks to neatly place them in my suitcase when I heard a knock at my door. Walking over to open it I saw Nathaniel standing in the hallway and immediately my happy mood died. So I hadn't escaped.

"Hi Kurt." He said, obviously realising that I knew why he was here. "How's your packing going?"

"Good. I can't wait to go home." At this line I saw his face scrunch up in sympathy and sighed.

"Listen, I know this is not what you want to hear, and I hate doing this, but you broke the rules. And Wilde property." Feeling like I was back at kindergarten being told to stand against the wall I let my head fall.

"And despite what's been going on I can't let you get away with it, otherwise the other students will start to complain and I'll lose my authority and blah blah blah." I heard him smirk at his own words and felt a small smile flicker on my lips, but still stayed staring at the ground.

"However," suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Nathaniel looking at me with a meaningful expression, "I know things have been hard for you recently and cutting something else out of your life will only make things worse. So I came up with an alternative punishment for you." I'd never thought I'd ever see anyone smile about a punishment, but that's exactly what he did. "Come with me."

"But, I'm packing…" Gesturing back to my open suitcase Nathaniel shot me a mock angry look.

"Hey – I'm still the Head Boy here. Follow me."

* * *

By the time we reached the kitchen, my slight interest had grown to a great intrigue, furthered when I saw a selection of bowls and cooking ingredients set out neatly on the tabletop.

"I heard a rumour from some of your Home Ec comrades that you are a bit of a whiz in the kitchen." Nathaniel began, walking over and picking up an apron. "So, your punishment is to cook everyone in Wilde some goodbye cookies." I tried to stop my eyebrows from raising, but failed. What?

"Hey – I'm being nice. _And_ seeing as I am Head Boy and should be able to take what I dish out – I'm going to help you." Slipping the apron over his head and tying the knot behind in a ridiculously short time he grinned, chucking me the other one.

"_This_ is my punishment?" I asked, disbelief colouring my tone.

"Well, you also have to pay for a new timer and most of these ingredients, but yeah." For second I stood still, not knowing what to say, before eventually I shrugged my shoulders and slipped the apron over my head.

* * *

"Now mix the butter and the sugar in here." Nathaniel wasn't as good a cook as I thought he'd be – I was having to talk him through everything. We'd managed to weigh out most of the ingredients (the scales at Dalton were ridiculous – whoever had designed them had obviously had a fetish for buttons) and were now mixing them together in several different bowls due to the huge quantity we were making.

"Ergh, why is this so complicated?" I laughed, causing Nathaniel to shoot me a glare. "Hey!"

"We're only making cookies Nathaniel – it's not exactly rocket science."

"Well I never made things like this as a child!" His tone was still joking, but I suddenly stopped teasing. There was something more in that statement. We carried on mixing, the room becoming silent for a couple of seconds, before Nathaniel suddenly began talking again.

"I know everyone thinks I'm just this weird guy that loves making charts and organising everything, but I'm not."

"Nathaniel, I don't think you're weird."

"Well I know other people do. These walls are thinner than you think." Instantly sympathy swept over me – I wondered about reaching out a comforting hand but decided against it.

"I suppose it doesn't bother me that much. I mean, they wouldn't have picked me to be Head Boy if they didn't respect me a bit. But I have reasons for being the way I am."

"You can tell me if you want. I won't judge." I saw Nathaniel look at my smile cautiously, wondering whether to proceed. Then he took a deep breath, stirred his mixture some more and spoke.

"I have a sister, Nikki. She's older than me but she's got cerebral palsy, so it feels like she's younger. My Dad – he left before I was born, so my Mum and I looked after Nikki on our own. She would do the motherly things, like cook our meals and sew the buttons on our clothes, but I did everything else. Like _literally_ everything. I've been organising things since I was four years old. Nikki always used to get upset when she saw how tired we always were, how I could never go out to play with my friends or Mum couldn't afford to buy herself new clothes – a couple of times she tried to do things herself and nearly set the house on fire – but I never felt any anger towards her. She's one of my best friends, I love her to pieces. When I was ten we got a letter from our lawyer saying that my Dad had been killed in a car crash – he'd never bothered to change his will so all his money and business shares went to us. Mum used the money to buy some more equipment for Nikki and I didn't need to do so much anymore. Then she found out about Dalton and how tolerant they are and thought I deserved a good education, so she paid for my tuition with the rest of the money. And now I'm here."

* * *

I realised I'd stopped mixing completely – my hand hovering over the bowl as my mouth hung open. Marc Jacobs…

"Nathaniel…I never knew…"

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's not like I go broadcasting it around. Very few people know actually, they just assume I was always organising my family for fun. The two of them can't make it to Dalton very often because Mum works from home." I watched him stir, bringing up his spoon and letting the mixture slop back down into the bowl slowly. How had I never realised this? And how was he so blasé about it? I realised in effect Nathaniel had sacrificed an important and highly private detail about his life, in order to make me feel better about mine. The thought was humbling.

"Well, you do a good job of hiding it. I'd never have thought you had any problems." A short laugh escaped from his lips.

"Hah. Really?"

"Yeah. In fact, when you first showed me around Wilde I thought you were possibly the most confident kid I had ever met. I kind of wanted to be you." I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment, but Nathaniel smiled, a warm contented smile, and it was worth it.

"Thanks." I _had_ always stood up for him, but now I was glad I had. "You know, sometimes, I wonder if my Dad never changed his will on purpose. If he felt guilty for leaving without a word and figured his death money could somehow make up for it, almost like he was repenting his sins. Well, at least that's what I like to think. I never knew him so he could have just been lazy." Nathaniel had set his spoon down, his eyes staring into the distance and I smiled, making him smile back too.

"Come on – let's get these spooned out and in the oven."

* * *

Without sounding cocky – our cookies were a masterpiece. We'd barely taken them out of the oven when Christian Gard rolled into the kitchen (he looked so badly like Artie despite the fact he was in a wheelchair I'd sometimes called him said name by mistake. Not that he minded.) looking hungry.

"Dude, what are you guys making? We can smell them from down the corridor!" He exclaimed, saliva practically dripping from his mouth.

"Kurt's made everybody punishment cookies." Nathaniel replied with a smile. (I noticed how he didn't try to take any of the credit – even though I had done most of the work.) "Hey! Don't touch!" A hand snapped out to slap Christian neatly on the wrist and I laughed as the boy let out an indignant shout, before sulkily wheeling back to his room. They did smell amazing though, I could feel my stomach beginning to rumble and realised I hadn't even had lunch yet.

"We need to wait for these to cool down before we give them out, so go finish your packing and I'll call you down." I nodded and slipped my apron off, resting it on the table as I exited the room.

* * *

As I walked up the stairs towards my room, I once again thanked the powers that be that I had such decent friends. I guess I was going to miss some things about this place. I was even at the point of whistling a tune to myself as I bounced down the corridor, when I reached my door and stopped dead.

_Kurt. WE NEED TO TALK._

The note was tacked to my door, obviously made in a rush. I noticed some paper had been borrowed from my notepad to create it, and I imagined my parker pen had been used too. The handwriting was unmistakeable.

Tearing down the note I marched into my room and was about to scrunch it into a ball when I saw another one lying on my bed.

_CALL ME AS SOON AS YOU SEE THIS. PLEASE._

Once again I responded angrily, grabbing it so hard my finger tore a hole in the centre. Both messages went straight into the bin. As I sat down on my bed I noticed my phone lying on my bedside table and paused. He wouldn't have… My hand darted out and brought it to my face. He would. Six messages.

_Kurt. I need to talk to you. Come and see me._

_Please just call me. It's important._

_Where are you? I just went to your room. CALL ME._

_Kurt I can't find you anywhere._

_Don't ignore this – I'm being deadly serious._

_PLEASE._

The last one was the worst. I almost gave myself a blood blister from pressing delete so hard. This was ridiculous. Blaine hadn't spoken to me in days. He'd repeatedly ignored me and said to my face that he was bored of us – why now did he need to talk? Surely there was nothing more to say? To my horror I knew there was a part of me that wanted to reply, to even arrange a meeting, but I buried that part away. I had to pack.

* * *

Half an hour later, even after we'd packaged up the cookies and handed them out to grateful Wildeians, the messages were still coming. Now I was getting missed calls and burbles down my answer phone – I didn't listen to any of them but each new message sent another jolt of pain through my body. Was this a new level of the game? Because I wasn't playing anymore. My stuff was nearly packed, but I kept recounting things and forgetting what I had ticked off – before long Dad and Carole were going to be here and I was going to get out of here as soon as possible.

* * *

When three o'clock dawned I didn't even wait for them to arrive, lugging my bags out the door as quickly as I could. Holy hell – was this how I was leaving? Running away like I was being chased? This was worse than McKinley. I managed to make it down the stairs and was just reaching the main entrance when my whole body sunk. There he was.

"KURT!" Blaine came running towards me faster than I'd ever seen him move before. His expression was wild and desperate.

"Kurt!" I was surrounded my bags so had nowhere to run to – when he reached me he moved to give me a hug and I screamed out as a distraction, making him jump but also causing him to move away, creating the desired result.

"I've been looking for you _everywhere_ where the hell have you been have you lost your phone or something I've been calling you constantly-" His voice burbled uncontrollably and for a second I wanted to ask what was wrong, before I remembered I didn't want to talk to him.

"Blaine, why are you talking to me?" I said as plainly and as bluntly as I could. The sentence made him stop and stare at me, before a new expression graced his features.

"Oh Kurt, I'm so sorry. I've been a complete ass. _I know._" The words were confusing but I focused on the last few.

"Know what?"

"I know that you love me." For a second I froze, not knowing how to act. Then confusion began to grow.

"How?"

"Wes told me. He was outside calling Carmen during the party when he saw you and Gabriel. He heard _everything_." Blaine's expression was really starting to unnerve me – he looked upset but I couldn't work out why. Surely this information had already been established…

"What does this even have to do with us?" I spoke slowly and watched his look at me in concern. Like he couldn't understand what I wasn't getting.

"Kurt. This has _everything_ to do with us. I thought…I thought you were with Gabriel."

"What? I was never with Gabriel. He just got the wrong idea." Blaine laughed, a high-pitched mocking laugh. He was beginning to scare me.

"I know!"

"Blaine. Is this another part of the game? Because I thought we established that this was _over_." At this I was shot another crazed look.

"Can't you see? I lied! I lied about everything! I thought you and Gabriel were together so I lied and said I never loved you. _I lied!_" Now he was stepping closer to me, but I backed away. This caused him to falter slightly but he carried on.

"Kurt, when I came to your room that night, I was coming to apologise. I got scared because I like you so much and I didn't want you to regret your decision, but then I saw you and Gabriel and I got really mad, jealous even. It seemed like you really liked him so I said those things, to try and hurt you, like you'd hurt me. Afterwards I felt terrible, but I kept seeing you around with Gabriel so I thought, well I thought you were sticking the knife in. So I stayed angry and I stayed lying. But now I know you didn't love Gabriel. Now that I know the truth – everything is solved!" At this I stopped.

* * *

"Blaine…" I began cautiously. He hung on my words. "Nothing is solved." Blaine's expression dropped.

"What?"

"_Nothing_ is solved. I still don't understand – you effectively said you used me for fun, then didn't even acknowledge my existence for a whole week."

"Yes, but that was all a misunderstanding, I didn't mean it-"

"-You didn't mean it? Well it felt like you did. I cried more than I've cried in years this week. Almost as much as when my Mum died." I watched his face become torn, the sight making my own gut scrunch up and twist painfully.

"I want to make it better Kurt, I can be there-"

"_What_?" I almost laughed. "You want to _be there_ for me? You're the one that caused this!"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I felt a hand reach out to touch mine, the feeling sending shivers down my spine as I remembered all the times we'd shared, how good it felt. But I pushed it away.

"I love you Blaine. I love you so much it hurts. But what you did isn't something I can just forgive. How do I know you're not just going to turn around and tell me this was act two of your show?"

"It's not, I promise-"

"-That's not enough. A couple of days ago I would have given anything for you to say these words, but now I'm different. These constant mood swings – they're not healthy for you or me. It's not healthy for me to be around you anymore. So I'm going to go home, and you're going to go home. I don't think you should try and contact me in any way. Then next year I might be able to look at you without wanting to kill myself."

Blaine had stopped trying to protest, He'd stopped doing anything, tears beginning to stream down his perfectly formed cheeks. One trickled down to his chin.

"Kurt, I…"

"Don't."

I didn't stay to watch it fall.


	19. Holiday

**Chapter 19 - Holiday**

Christmas went by in a flash. It was almost so fast I didn't notice it moving, then suddenly it was over. Being with my family was amazing – for the first time in a long while I finally felt at home. I got some pretty awesome presents – even from Finn who surprised everyone by buying me a scarf that I'd been wanting for ages. (I promised to wear it forever and managed to hold myself to it for two days before I finally had to give in.) But from Blaine I got the best and worst gift of all. Silence.

* * *

Scott arrived in Lima on New Years Day. I'd been looking forward to his visit for weeks and just the sight of him pulling up outside our house in a rather shabby looking taxi filled my heart with joy. He'd barely stepped out the door when I assaulted him with a huge hug, but he simply laughed and pulled me in closer, muttering something about the journey price being more than his whole meal at Taco Bell.

"Dude! How was your Christmas?" We'd somehow managed to bring all of Scott's things into my room (Dad had been surprisingly lenient in letting him stay – obviously we were in separate beds but I was happy he trusted me enough to let us share a sleeping space. That and the fact I'd insisted several times that he was the most heterosexual boy he was ever going to meet) and were perched on my bed, me with my legs crossed and Scott lounging ungainly against the wall. Him and Finn were already best buddies.

"It was really good. _Really _good." I sighed happily and Scott smiled, obviously pleased.

"What did you get?"

"Oh, loads of stuff. Mostly clothes, Carole bought me stock ups for my moisturising kit" Gaga I loved her for that "and Finn got me the scarf I wanted." My hand gestured over to the said object, which was neatly draped over the top of my chair ready for me to put on if we went out. "What about you?"

"Oh, _man_!" I could tell he had been waiting for this question. "My Mum and Dad got me the raddest, coolest, most totally awesome thing in the world! Jumping up sharply Scott ran over to one of his bags, rummaged around, before pulling something out and hiding it behind his back.

"Are you ready for this bro?" I nodded, trying not to laugh. "Ta-dah!" Swinging his arm around I came face to face…with a lightsaber.

"Er…" Scott looked like an excited four year old, swooping his toy backwards and forwards whilst making his own sound effects to go with the movement. "A _lightsaber_?"

"Yeah! You know? Star Wars? _Luke I am your father_ and all that jazz. It's an exact replica of the one Obi Wan has."

"Obi what?" The look that was sent my way was almost scary.

"DUDE! OBI WAN KENOBI! Have you even _watched_ Star Wars?"

"I did when they came out…" That was another phase Dad had tried to get me into and failed. Thankfully Scott had enough enthusiasm for the both of us.

"So yeah, this is an exact replica and it lights up and makes sounds and everything. I totally freaked when I unwrapped it."

"I can imagine." I signalled to Scott to put the lightsaber down, as he was getting dangerously close to my bedside cabinet and he came and sat back down, energy still radiating out of his pores.

"What do you do for Christmas anyway?"

"Oh, we have a massive family thing. Relatives all crash at ours – it gets kinda crazy. My cousins all come over from Canada and we watch the ice hockey. I guess you don't watch ice hockey?"

"Er, no."

"Well it's totally awesome anyway. What about you?"

"Oh, we just have a quiet thing. It's the first time we've had a proper Christmas since Mum died." I watch Scott's expression falter slightly. Of course he knew about my family, and how I was fine talking about it, but I could tell he still found it awkward.

"Carole makes the best Christmas dinner is the _world_." I continued. Immediately the smile returned.

"Oh man, I freakin love pigs in blankets."

* * *

Later on in the day Scott, Finn and I were in the living room, playing Call of Duty. Well – I say playing. I was still no better than the first time I'd played, the day before I'd gone to Dalton. When Finn had taken the game out I'd felt a cold shiver run through me, the memories painful and somehow still fresh even after all this time, but thankfully I'd managed to hide it and was mainly watching. Scott was turning out to be more than a match for Finn, something that was highly entertaining as they resorted to dirty tactics to get the edge on each other.

"HEY! We said no machine guns!"

"Well I lied" A manic grin flashed across Scott's face, before he proceeded to annihilate Finn with his illegal weapon. The sound of my brother's protests made me laugh and I received a rather violent shove that almost sent me tumbling off the sofa.

"Jeez Finn it's only a game."

"Call of Duty is _not_ a game – it's a way of life." I laughed again but ducked to dodge the flying arm, moving further along the sofa so I was out of reach.

"Do you play this when Rachel's around?"

"Um, sometimes. She gets quite into is actually. She likes telling me where to throw the grenades." Rachel had come to visit us on boxing day – her family celebrated Christmas with a Chinese round the telly so she wasn't quite as into the day as everyone else, however she did very much enjoy the presents. Finn, obviously on fire with his gift buying (or receiving very good tip offs) had got her a star necklace, and like me she hadn't taken it off the whole time.

"Rachel's the anal one right?"

"_SCOTT!"_ I flashed my friend a look, rapping his sharply on the arm, but Finn simply laughed.

"No worries – I guess she is kind of anal. But in a really hot way…"

"What about any of the other New Direction girls? Have they had a good Christmas…?" Immediately a smirk spread across my face. Scott was trying to look innocent and nonplussed, but was failing miserably.

"Which girls do you mean?"

"Well, um, you know…Mercedes?" Gotcha.

"She's good." I was being mean. Ever since their date to the Lima Bean Scott was all Mercedes ever talked about – he was so polite, he opened the door for me, he tells such funny jokes, his ears are really cute (_really?_ His _ears?_) he has a lovely smile etc etc. They'd been keeping in contact but recently Mercedes phone had died and both parties were going mental as a result.

"Mercedes? Wait – you're the guy she keeps going on about aren't you?" Finally Finn had tuned into the conversation and his reaction sent Scott crazy.

"What? Really? You serious?"

"Yeah! The other Glee clubbers are getting kind of cheesed off about it. Especially cause you're from a rival school."

"I'm not even _in_ the Warblers! I can't hold a tune to save my life!" Another laugh escaped from my lips and the two other boys both turned to look at me, confusion and annoyance on their faces.

"Sorry. But sometimes you two act so gay. It's funny cause you're not." More silence. The boys looked at each other before shaking their heads and continuing to talk about Mercedes, Scott firing questions like the bullets of his illegal machine gun.

* * *

Dinner was an amusing affair. Scott surprised even Finn with his eating ability – I was shocked at how many sausages he could fit into his relatively small figure. My single piece of meat had sat growing cold on my plate as I watched him shovel them down. I gathered he hadn't eaten like that in front of Mercedes; otherwise he never would have got a second date. When we'd waved goodnight to everyone and left Finn sorting out his pillows on the sofa our feet had traipsed up the stairs and slipped through pyjama bottoms, ready for some rest.

* * *

"Spiderman pyjamas? _Really?_"

"Hey – I've got to spread the love out equally." Scott really did fit every heterosexual stereotype in the book. The fact that we were best friends was still something that confused me, but I was glad the abnormality existed. I jumped into my bed, drawing the sheets up to my chest quickly to trap in the heat and went to lean back, before he spoke.

"Kurt." The change of tone made me sit up, look towards my friend. He looked tense – like he was about to broach something he didn't quite want to.

"Look, I know you probably really don't want to talk about this, and I'm sorry to bring it up, but sometimes you hide how you're really feeling really well and I-"

"-Scott."

"How are you? Really?" There was that unspoken word between us. The one neither of us wanted to mention. I let go of my sheets and pulled myself up to rest against the head of my bed.

"I'm…coping."

"Really?" It was amazing how well he knew me – how he knew just the right thing to say, in just the right way.

"Yeah."

"Well, that's, good then. I'm glad." The silence stretched out and I felt bad for not saying more.

"I'm not saying it hasn't been hard." Dad and Carole had been more than confused when I'd appeared in the Dalton car park with all my bags, even more so when I'd dumped them all down to run into Dad's arms and cry my eyes out. I hadn't been able to tell them the full story so had made something up about Blaine and I having a fight, but the feeling of somebody close had comforted me and we'd stopped on the way home for chocolate milkshakes.

"I've looked at my phone a couple of times, just wishing something would appear, but I guess that would only make things worse." Scott sighed.

"I know you did the right thing for you, but Blaine's a nice person. He never meant to hurt you." My eyes flashed up. "Well – not in the way you think. You didn't see him after your big argument – he was devastated." I nodded my head slowly. I'd tried to avoid thinking about Blaine, especially when I'd been having such a good time at home. Annoyingly tears were beginning to prick at my eyelids.

"Oh god, I've made you upset now. Sorry." Scott reached over to place his hand on my arm but I waved him away, hurriedly flapping at my face to dispel the moisture.

"No no, it's ok. I suppose I need to talk about it at some point."

"I don't want you to feel like I'm on his side-"

"-Sssh." I stared intently into his eyes, my expression firm. "You aren't on anybody's side. I know that."

"I am on the side of Justice though." Now my eyebrows raised.

"What?"

"You know, 'the side of justice'… _The Justice League? _God!" Yet another fandom I wasn't part of.

* * *

The next day Finn, Scott and I were off to Breadstix for a New Directions lunch. It had been a while since I'd seen everyone, so I was looking forward to it. I had also been informed through a text from Tina that Mercedes was _definitely_ attending.

When we arrived Puck and Santana were already there, having a heated debate about something so their hands were raised and their chests puffed out in an amusing manner. I saw Scott raise his eyebrows and remembered he had encountered Santana before.

"Hey…" Finn said, unsure whether to break up the argument or not. Both sets of eyes flashed towards us angrily, before they realised who we were and instantly softened.

"Oh, hey Finn, Kurt, random." Puck stated matter-of-factly. I laughed.

"Puck. This is my friend Scott, from Dalton." I waited for Scott to hold out his hand like he usually did when greeting any of my friends, but he made no move.

"Dude, that is a _seriously_ cool Mohawk." Turning to look at him I saw him smiling. Puck pondered the statement for a second or two.

"Is that a Buckeyes jersey you're wearing?"

"Yup."

"Come on over." Holding out his arm Scott waltzed over and the two began chatting like they'd been buddies for years. Jeez, Scott was going to take over all my friends if I wasn't careful.

* * *

For a while Finn and I talked about Rachel's strange interest in Call of Duty whilst Scott and Puck babbled on and Santana filed her nails until the rest of New Directions arrived and everybody began greeting each other. I was happy to see Sam and Quinn still holding hands (for some reason I hadn't thought they were going to last) and Artie, Brittany, Mike and Tina all arrived together, laughing about something. All talk about football was pushed aside however, when Mercedes came into view. Scott immediately jumped up, which made me laugh and bowed, which made me laugh more.

"Well _helloooo_." Mercedes immediately blushed scarlet, letting out a giggle when he took her hand and kissed it lightly. Everyone else murmured comments of approval or realisation, now that the name of their friend's obsession was finally being put to a face.

"God I've missed that laugh." I couldn't believe he was being so cheesy – and that it was working. This was the guy that had tried to clean his shower plug at home with a Hoover.

"Shall we eat?"

* * *

"So, you're Kurt's friend right?" The amount of food on Scott's plate was actually fairly similar to everyone else's, due to the fact that he was constantly having to pause to answer questions.

"_Best_ friend." I smiled at the correction, slipping another spoonful of risotto into my mouth. "We met in, Trig class was it? Oh yeah, when I busted all of your books."

"Yeah. I'm still trying to get the creases out of those pages."

"And you play football?" Tina seemed intrigued. I guess like most people (including sometimes me) she was wondering how on earth we clicked so well, how we could even stand hanging out with each other.

"Yeah. Got the scars to prove it. Wanna see?" Scott put down his fork to roll up his sleeve and I quietly patted his arm down to halt the movement. I guess the one thing you couldn't deny about the guy was that his enthusiasm was infectious. Puck and Santana were having another heated discussion, but this time Brittany was throwing in random comments to try and help, along with Artie uttering a gangster phrase every few sentences or so. Everyone seemed hyped, and I figured it had something to do with the energy my friend brought to the table. Glancing across at Mercedes I saw her gazing lovingly at him, the smile on her face as she watched him begin to tell a story about one of his many sporting injuries, the biggest I'd ever seen. The smile reminded me of something – I thought about it for a second before my eyebrows furrowed and I looked down into my food uncomfortably.

"Hey Kurt, what's up?" Finn's voice rang out and I raised my eyes back up to see him lounging in his seat, having already devoured his food minutes earlier. One of his arms was draped casually around Rachel and the other was playing with her fingers as she talked to Quinn and Sam about something.

"Oh, nothing."

"Hey, Kurt!" Suddenly Santana broke into the conversation, leaning forward so she gained everyone's attention. "Where's that guy you were always harping on about? What was his name…?"

"Santana no." Mercedes tried to intervene but she was too late.

"Blaine." Immediately my insides dropped. I'd been waiting for the topic to come up. Hoping it wouldn't, but waiting nevertheless. Now that it had though, another thought crept through my mind. Sitting at this table, I was surrounded by couples. Finn and Rachel, Sam and Quinn, Scott and Mercedes – in fact the only two people that weren't paired up had made their reputations from being so. I was the only one here that was truly alone.

"Santana shut it. Kurt…" Finn was taking over again, his big brother persona springing into action, but I was already spiralling, thinking about all the times I had missed Blaine, wished I could have talked to him, held him close, felt his breath on my skin…

"Kurt!" Violently I dragged my chair back, ignoring the shout from Rachel, and walked off towards the toilets, fighting the tears that somehow, even after all this time refused to leave me alone.

* * *

When I reached the men's room I walked straight to a cubicle and went to slam the door behind me when a force from outside shoved it open and made the wood ram into my shoulder.

"Ow!"

"Sorry! I just didn't want you to lock-" Scott apologised hurriedly but I interrupted.

"-I know." He always knew. Turning round to face the wall I rested my forehead against it, feeling the cold sweat that had begun to pool.

"What am I doing?"

"You're still grieving." Oh _Gaga_. That made it sound like someone had died.

"I'm not coping. I'm not coping at all. _I miss him_." My tone was disgusted, like I couldn't believe what I was saying. Even though it was true.

"I know. I kind of gathered when I was the one that had to bring him up." Dammit Scott. _Dammit_. "I bet he misses you too."

"Then _why_ hasn't he called? _Why_ hasn't he tried to contact me in any way?"

"Um, I'm pretty sure you told him not to."

"But that doesn't mean that he shouldn't! Oh Marc Jacobs I'm so stupid." I went to bang my head against the wall but Scott stopped me, his hand gripping my shoulder tightly.

"Hey - you are _not stupid!_ You are confused, and that's natural. Things like this need time, everyone's the same. But you should _not_ feel bad about this and you should _not _feel bad about not wanting to see people coupled up. Believe me, I disgust myself sometimes." A soft laugh escaped my lips and Scott relaxed, knowing he had got me over the worst.

"I'm pretty sure Finn has just given everyone a huge ticking off so nobody's going to mention 'the B word' anymore – do you want to go back?" Turning to face him, I looked at his calm friendly expression – an expression I knew so well – and nodded.

* * *

The rest of the days of Scott's visit flew by – I showed him the sights of Lima (including, for some odd reason McKinley. Stepping back into the familiar setting had been a strange but nice experience. I half expected to see Mr Shue there marking test papers.) Scott tried in vain to teach me how to fight like a Jedi and pitch like a baseball player, and Mercedes giggled and flirted more than I had ever seen in my life. When the day finally came for his departure I begged for him to stay longer, but eventually he had to take the shabby taxi back to the airport and leave me feeling like a piece was missing already. The next time I would see him would be back at Dalton.

Trudging back to my room Dad made some comment about dinner but I didn't listen, thinking about how I was going to fill the week of time I had left until I returned to school. Once inside I began to collect up sheets to wash, before I suddenly noticed something tucked inside my bed covers. Reaching over to pull it out I laughed, The lightsaber. Either my best friend was having the biggest panic in the world right now, or he had left it there to show that no matter where he was, he always had my back.


	20. Return

_Hey guys - sorry about the delay in updates. I am snowed down with work at the moment so this will probably continue for a while_

_This chapter is pretty short but has some interesting things happening..._

_Enjoy_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 20 - Return**

The day came. It came all too soon.

Looking up at the huge white building of Wilde, I was filled with the same nerves, the same butterflies, the same sense of dread, but for a completely different reason. Dad said his goodbyes pretty quickly, knowing for once that I didn't like him to hover. This time however, I was desperate for him to stay, desperate for him to put my bags back in the car and take me home. But I knew I had to stay. I'd spent a whole holiday completely removed from Blaine – I'd had my mourning time. Now it was time to move on.

I spent a lot of time dithering in the ground floor rooms, saying hi to Steven, Wade and Connor who had all already arrived and unpacked their things. Connor had been skiing, Wade had taken a trip to California and Steven had gone back to visit his family in Hawaii – his tanned skin now even darker and more enviable than before. When asked about my holiday I told them about Scott's visit, but didn't elaborate much further. Wade offered to help me carry my things upstairs but I declined. This was something I needed to do on my own.

Even without the extra weight of the bags my body still felt heavy and it took a lot of effort to get me up the stairs – even more so to traipse down the corridor, especially past Gabriel's room. (I'd had a couple of texts from him over the break but had tactfully chosen to ignore them) When I finally reached room 23 I stopped, gazing up at my nameplate and sighing. The reminders of Blaine were everywhere before I'd even begun. Once I'd fiddled around in my pocket to get my key I turned the lock and the door swung open. My room looked the same as it had when I'd left. Funny. Somehow I'd expected a change. Yes, the cleaners had gone round and spruced up the surfaces (they had with every room in Wilde) but there was still that feeling in the air. Ergh. Dropping all my bags on the floor I walked straight over to the bed, falling down so my face hit the pillow and I groaned. Welcome back.

* * *

After a while I slowly began to unpack, trying not to think about how I'd done this the first time so full of enthusiasm, and it wasn't long before people started appearing at my door.

"Heello." My head jerked up on hearing the familiar voice and I jumped to my feet, running over and giving Artem a huge hug.

"Artem! How are you? How was your Christmas?" At first he seemed confused with all the questions, but eventually he smiled.

"I went back to Russia, it nice to see my family."

"Ah, that's nice. It's so good to see you!" I went to hug him again, but suddenly realised he looked…sheepish. "What is it?"

"Um… This is…Ashley." I watched his arm move to signal to a space behind him and moved to see a pretty brown haired girl standing with her hands nervously clasped together. _Oh_.

"Oh! Hi!" Waving my hand I watched the girl smile, before raising her hand to wave back. "Wait a second…is she?" Artem blushed. "Yes she is!" I'd heard about their coffee date towards the end of term (I sadly hadn't been able to fulfil my promise of accompanying due to me being unable to leave Wilde) but was surprised and ecstatic to recognise Artem's dance partner from St Jades.

"Oh wow it's so good to finally meet you!" Holding out my hand Ashley reached out to shake it. She had striking eyes – I could see why my friend was hooked.

"It's nice to meet you too. Artem talks about you a lot, he says you really helped him during his first term." Feeling my cheeks flush with pride I smiled.

"Oh, I was only doing my best. He's a cool guy to hang out with anyway."

"I know." Ashley slipped her arm through Artem's and I had to furiously contain the 'aww' that threatened to escape from my lips.

"Have you seen Stefan?" Returning my attention back to my friend I shook my head.

"No, sorry. But I'm sure he'll arrive soon."

"Oh well. Have fun packing!"

"_Un_packing Artem, _unpacking_." A goofy smile spread across his face and I watched the pair walk back down the corridor hand in hand.

* * *

Minutes later another three knocks graced my ears.

"Open up loser!" I almost sprinted to the door, flinging it open and assaulting Scott with another hug.

"Hey, hey dude, I need to breathe!" Laughing, I loosened my grip, but still kept hold for another few seconds before letting go.

"How are you?"

"Well, in the week since I last saw you I have been fabulous. Managed to get my highest ever score on Wii baseball. You?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Oh-" Rushing back into my room I fished around in my things before bringing out the object I wanted. "You left something at my house." Holding out the lightsaber towards Scott I saw his face break into an unmistakeable smirk, something he didn't even try to hide.

"Oh. I was wondering where that had got to."

"Indeed..." Both exchanging huge grins I handed the weapon over and Scott immediately began swinging it around, obviously having missed the piece of plastic more than was normal for a human being. As we laughed I noticed Nathaniel coming out of his room and waved in greeting.

"Hey Nathaniel!" The Head Boy immediately bounded over to us.

"Hey Kurt, hey Scott! You guys have a good Christmas?"

"Awesome. I trained Kurt in the ways of the Jedi." I snorted at the confused look Nathaniel gave me, shrugging my shoulders so he nodded and pretended to understand.

"Nikki and I went to Chicago to see The Producers. She loved it." As he continued I saw him glance my way, our eyes sharing a look that took me back to our heart to heart at the end of last term.

"Who's Nikki?" Scott asked

"My sister."

"Oh, cool." I smiled, for some reason enjoying the hidden meaning behind the story.

"That's great. I'm glad you had a good time." Nathaniel smiled, before his eyes suddenly caught something and his expression changed.

"Oh, Kurt, you have something on your door." Reaching over to yank something softly from the wood he strained his eyes to see, before his face changed again.

"_Oh._"

"What?" Scott craned his neck to get a look, before he went funny too. "_Oh_."

"What is this?" Snatching the note from Nathaniel's hand before either of them had time to say anything else I held it to my face to read, before my stomach dropped.

**_If you missed me as much as I missed you, come to the archive room at 5pm_**

**_Blaine_**

I don't know why he'd signed it – I recognised his handwriting every time. If anything the signature made my heart lurch even more – he _wanted_ me to know it was him.

"Dude-" Scott began to talk, but I held my hand up to stop him, my eyes still fixed on the note.

"The first contact I get from him in weeks and he writes me a note…" My voice was too low for either of them to hear, so I looked back up and spoke again. "Um, I should really get on with my unpacking now, so I'll see you guys later ok?" I knew both of them were uncomfortable with leaving – I could see Scott itching to say something – but I smiled convincingly and eventually they relented.

"Ok, laters bro."

"See you in a bit." I watched the two of them depart, before slowly turning back round and closing my door behind me.

* * *

Oh Gaga.

What was I going to do? I threw the note onto my bed, watching it fall and settle. The sight of it there was unnerving, but I couldn't bring myself to destroy it. This was contact – pathetic schoolboy contact – but contact all the same. Did I want this? I thought back to all the times I'd lain on my bed, watching my phone, begging for it to ring. But if he _had_ rung, would I have wanted to answer? Would I have been able to listen to his voice after all that had happened between us? And if I wouldn't – how would I be able to cope with seeing him?

Abruptly I jumped onto my bed, snatching up the piece of paper and reading it again. 'If you missed me as much as I missed you'… He'd _missed _me. Whilst the claim was hardly watertight, and had no indication as to how in-depth this missing had been, he'd _missed_ me. And I sure as hell had missed him.

"Blaine…" I whispered, tracing the neat cursive handwriting with my finger. What was I going to do? Looking up at the clock I saw it was nearly 3pm.

I had two hours to figure out.


	21. Archives

**Chapter 21 - Archives**

_You shouldn't be doing this Kurt_

I had two voices in my head

_You shouldn't be doing this_

**Yes you should – you want to see what he wants**

As I walked down the corridor towards the library the voices became more animated

**It's just curiosity – you're curious**

_No you're not – you're desperate_

**Hey!**

Was it normal for this to happen? I'd heard of the angel and devil on your shoulder, but had never thought they actually existed. Or appeared to anyone.

_He's gonna break your heart all over again_

"No he's not." This time I spoke out loud to myself, my voice confident and sure. "You're going to walk to the room, see what he wants, and if it's not what _you_ want, you're going to leave." Yes. That was the plan. I'd carefully orchestrated it in the hour between deciding I was going to go and setting off from Wilde towards the main building. I had taken a back route to avoid going anywhere near Wordsworth and left early so there was no way Scott would be able to ambush me, as I feared he would. This was my decision and I had to face to consequences of it.

Glancing down at my watch I saw in horror I saw I was going to be early, so hastily turned a corner and began another tour of the building. I'd also had to vehemently convince myself not to dress up for the occasion, simply staying in the clothes I had moved back in in. This had to look like it wasn't a big deal. Even if it was possibly the biggest deal that ever existed.

* * *

When the clock struck five I felt my whole body lurch, but I kept my walking pace slow and approached the library. Unsurprisingly it was fairly empty – the students not having been given any work to do yet, unless they were on honours programmes or just very keen. I walked through the room in complete silence, staring straight forward until I reached my destination. The archive room. Standing in front of the door I felt myself take a deep breath inwards – a raggedy breath that had the angel voice screaming at me to leave, to run away while I still had the chance and some dignity. I ignored it however, gradually lifting my hand up to rest against the door, feeling the grainy wood beneath my fingertips, letting it rest there for a couple of seconds, and then slowly pushing it open.

The door creaked like one from a horror movie, as the room became visible I saw the lights were off, so felt around for a switch and pressed it. They flickered on one by one but were slow to brighten, so cast an eerie dim gloom around the room.

"Blaine…?" My voice sounded frail and shaky, I cursed myself under my breath. No response from the darkened room. I went to speak again but stopped myself. This was stupid. Blaine probably wasn't even here – somebody else had forged the note and was having a good old laugh at me now – or even worse, Blaine was the one laughing. Letting out a disappointed exhale I moved to shut the door, before something in the room caught my eye. Stepping forward I squinted to adjust my eyes to the low light and looked more closely at it. It was a photo. A fairly old photo, taken way before I'd made the move from Lima to Westerville. It was in fact, a photo taken at McKinley, a photo I remembered very well. The first photo of me and Blaine. Without me even realising my hand shot out and grabbed the picture, bringing it up to my face so I could study it closely. I remembered this photo because of how stunning Blaine had looked – he hadn't even been paying full attention to the camera but the light had caught his face in the most breathtaking way imaginable and he'd posed without even trying. I of course looked horrendous – a sickening look of adoration on my face as I gazed at my new friend. Ergh. I was about to put it back down when I noticed a faint mark in the bottom corner of the photo. _PTO_ Flipping it over I saw something had been written on the back.

_I still think you look gorgeous._

Another sound broke the silence in the room as I inhaled sharply. It was Blaine's handwriting. And he had read my mind. Keeping the photo in my hand I glanced around the room, my eyes searching for somebody hiding in a corner, behind a bookcase (there were certainly plenty in here), but the room was empty. What exactly was going on?

"Blaine…?" I spoke again, even though I wasn't expecting a response, pacing slowly across to one of the bookcases, where I had spotted something stuck to a shelf. When I reached this I laughed, gently pulling down another photo. The second ever photo of Kurt and Blaine. This was again a tale of two opposites – Blaine smiling with a coffee whilst I struggled to hold my camera in the right place and get my head in a suitable position. Flipping it over I saw there was once again a scribbled comment.

_I told you we should have asked one of the baristas._

Hah. Glancing to the side there was another photo, and another. Blaine had chronologically placed every photo of us together around the room and written comments on each.

_You always were a better golf player than me._

_How does my hair stay like that?_

_Ergh, disgusting._

"That's not disgusting Blaine, you look cute." Oh Gaga, I was talking to a photo. No wait – I was talking to a comment on a photo. I knew this was definitely Blaine though – nobody else would have known these things. These messages were meant for me and him only.

* * *

Progressing around the room I reached the photos at Dalton, including one from my audition, which I didn't even know existed.

_Your singing was so beautiful it made me cry._

Holy crap. Now that I looked more closely, there were visible tear tracks on Blaine's face. How had I not noticed that?

The photo of us at sectionals that I'd placed on my wall had a particularly strong comment.

_I love this._

The word love sending all kinds of shivers down my spine, especially in that handwriting. But it was the last photo that held the most important message.

_Kurt. I know things have been rough – hey I've spent a whole three weeks wishing I was dead – even though that would defeat the point of what I'm trying to tell you. I miss you. I miss spending time with you, I miss seeing you smile, hearing you laugh. I just miss _you_. And I know words mean nothing without action so I wanted to prove how much you mean to me. And that __**I'm sorry for everything.**_

I stood completely still as I read the message. My breathing was even but I felt like my heart was thumping in my chest. Blaine… Blaine Blaine Blaine…

* * *

Suddenly there was a noise from a corner of the room. My head jerked up and I noticed a door I hadn't seen before slowly opening, the noise the same creaky sound I'd heard when I'd entered. The lights were still dim but I could see the familiar Dalton uniform.

"Oh." I didn't know how to respond. Blaine looked cautious, like he was afraid to proceed or do anything that might upset me. I stood there with the photo clutched to my chest, staring at him. All those weeks of separation had done nothing to dispel my feelings towards his beauty. He was breathtaking,

For a while we stood in complete silence – neither of us able to break it – both transfixed on each other. I saw Blaine's lips move to speak a couple of times but stop at the last second – eventually I had to intervene,

"This…" My response had meant to be a question, but I was unable to form it, only just managing to scan my arm around the room at all the photos. Blaine looked down at the floor embarrassed and the colouring of his cheeks almost made me gasp.

"I'm sorry if it's a bit much." Oh his voice. I hadn't heard it in so long – it was like fresh air to my lungs.

"No. It's not." Blaine looked back up and I reeled in his stare once again, Silence descended as we adjusted.

"I just…" Suddenly he stepped forward and I almost retreated in a reflex, but managed to stop myself, my feet rooted to the floor. "I feel, terrible. I've felt terrible all holiday, ever since we left-" Memories seemed to cloud his expression and the urge to reach out and smooth the lines on his forehead was nearly too much. "What I put you through, I just can't…I hate myself." Blaine stepped forward again, but it was towards the bookcase. He placed a hand on his forehead.

"And the stupid thing was – I didn't mean _any_ of it. All the horrible things I said to you – they were the complete _opposite_ to how I felt. I'm _crazy_ about you Kurt, I have been almost since we met." Holy cow. This was it. This was the declaration I'd been desperate for, the words I had dreamt about for months and months. Coming from perfectly formed lips.

"And I was so caught up in protecting you and making sure you didn't get hurt by anyone else, that I ended up hurting you myself. Then I began to wonder whether it was better if I stayed away-" Without me being able to stop it a soft whimper escaped from my lips – Blaine's eyes jerked to mine and the concern he held in them knocked me senseless.

"But I can't. I can't be apart from you Kurt. I _need_ you."

"Wh-wh-wh…" I tried to speak but my lips wouldn't move, Blaine took another step forward and willed me to find the words. "Why didn't you call?" He laughed.

"Oh I wanted to. I actually called you a couple of times from payphones but hung up as soon as you answered." So that had been the source of those calls. I'd assumed they'd been from Gabriel. "I was desperate to tell you everything, but you told me not to contact you. I didn't want to break your trust again." Another exhalation escaped from me. How was he saying these things? How was this even real? Moving slowly so he wouldn't see, I discreetly pinched the lower part of my arm, biting my lip in amazement when I felt the short sharp pain run through me.

"But now that the holidays are over…I thought I might as well try. Even if it's too late." Too late. The words ran through me – taking me back to what I'd said at the end of term. I didn't regret it at all – if I'd taken him back it would have been for the wrong reasons. We'd needed time, time to see if we really did need each other as much as we thought we did, if it was worth all the heartache. But _now_. Now I wanted Blaine with every fibre of my body. I _needed_ him.

"Blaine." I said, my eyes glistening, watching him hang on my words like his life depended on it. "It's not too late."

* * *

And then I couldn't hold back any longer. Closing the space between us I ran forward and thrust myself onto him, burying my head into his neck as forcefully as I could. Blaine's arms wrapped around me and we pulled each other in tightly, to the point where we were struggling to breathe.

"Oh…Kurt…" We were both gasping but didn't let up, our bodies rocking side to side as we soaked up the feeling of our bodies together, I moved my hand up to clasp at the tips of his hair and breathed in the scent of cotton and cinnamon. Oh Gaga.

"Blaine…" I couldn't form anything coherent, just saying his name over and over again. I never wanted to let go, _ever._

When Blaine did pull away I fought against him, clasping onto his blazer and letting out strangled cries, but thankfully he moved only so our faces were looking at each other, inches apart.

"I want to be with you Kurt." He said. "I want to _be_ with you. But we need to do this right." I nodded my head, not caring what his conditions were. I would do anything. "We need to start from the beginning. No drama, no past – like we only just met. I want to take you out and hold your hand." As he spoke I felt his hand intertwine with mine and went to bury my head in his chest again, but was pulled back up.

"_Kurt_. This is serious. I'm going to do it right this time. And you are _not_ going to get hurt."

"I don't care." I replied, pure joy gracing my features. "As long as you're here I don't care." Blaine pulled me close again, running his fingers through my hair and I felt the first happy tear roll down my cheek.


	22. First

_This chapter is loooooooooooooong._

_And also hot hot hot._

_Enjoy :D_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 22 - First**

The next day was…interesting. I woke up not knowing whether to jump for joy or roll back over and fall asleep. Today lessons started back at Dalton and midterms were looming – any social life we had last term was going to be severely diminished. But on the other hand…I had Blaine. Holy cow I still couldn't believe it.

We'd had a formal conversation about it over the phone later that night – I knew neither of us would be able to concentrate if we did it face to face. Just hearing his voice again had been enough to send me hyperventilating, something I managed to disguise as a sneeze. Blaine wanted to do it properly, starting from the beginning with no bypassing of any steps. It would be like we'd only just met and decided to court each other – hard when I'd spent over three months fantasising about his lips on my neck, but in the circumstance, doable. Not wanting to waste any time our first date had been planned for tonight – I had been kept out of the loop and told to expect a surprise. I could barely contain myself.

* * *

Bounding through the corridors to Trig, I could tell people were noticing my change of personality. Most of them had had to deal with me moping around for weeks, so I wasn't surprised that my cheerful cries of 'Hello!' and 'How were your holidays? Mine were great!' were met with puzzled looks and slow nods. I couldn't be bothered to explain, so left them all behind and practically launched myself into the Trig classroom. Scott for some reason was early, his feet resting on the table in front of him, but as soon as he saw me they crashed to the ground and he jumped up.

"Kuuuuurt!" I grinned, running over and letting him slap me on the back, even though the blow almost made me fall over.

"You look happy." I gave him a shove. He knew everything already – I may or may not have run straight over to his room and gushed like a teenage schoolgirl about my archive room shenanigans the moment they finished. He had been thrilled – not forgetting to point out that he had been right all along about Blaine's feelings – and we'd spent the rest of the evening discussing how best to act on a first date.

"Now, like I said, you have to play it cool, but not too cool – you don't want him to think you're frigid."

"Scott!" My voice hissed out and Conners flashed his head round to look at us, scanning the area with piercing eyes before slowly returning back to the board.

"You can't just say something like that!"

"It's true though. There's a fine line between someone that's easy and someone that doesn't put out." Covering my mouth to hide the snort that escaped I raised my eyebrows and Scott grinned.

"Why are you the expert anyway? How many first dates have you _actually _been on?"

"Several. Most of them blind dates set up by my mum, but we won't talk about those. Anyway, I don't hear _Mercedes_ complaining." Another grin graced his features, this one ecstatic and I smiled.

"What did you _do_ on that date by the way? She was talking about it for weeks."

"I showed her some of the Scott magic." Pulling up the sleeve of his blazer he flexed his bicep and I snorted again, making some of the students around us turn to look.

"Wow. Just, wow."

"Nah, not really. I was just polite, told some jokes, smiled. Girls love that crap. And so do gay guys probably."

"So you're saying I should tell jokes on my date with Blaine?"

"Well, I er, dunno. I don't think you jokes are quite up to scratch compared with mine-" My hand flicked out to slap Scott on the head, but this time we didn't go unnoticed.

"Macleod and Hummel – _pay attention_ or you'll be spending your free period doing equations."

"Sorry Conners." Scott grumbled into his hand and I looked back down at my textbook, hiding the giggles that were threatening to get me into even more trouble.

* * *

During Spanish Scott and I discussed tactics more seriously – we both agreed seeing as Blaine was organising the date, he would be the one in control over it. I was mainly the recipient, so wasn't going to go around calling the shots. I could, however, say if there was anything I disagreed with, or didn't want to do. Obviously I couldn't imagine this happening, but Scott was being careful. When we got to the subject of kissing I felt my cheeks turn scarlet.

"Um, er…we said that would have to wait until the end of the date." Scott's eyebrow raised.

"Oh, so it's like a goodbye kiss? Jeez, this guy is dapper. Next he's going to be placing his jacket in puddles for you to walk over." I laughed.

"I like his dapperness. It's…cute."

"If you say so. I say you just get it on." My hand hit Scott's head once more and he yelped out in pain, making Miss Breamhold look up but not say anything.

"No wonder your Mum had to set you up – you're impossible."

When we left the classroom I found myself looking up at the clock in the hallway, my heart lurching when I saw I only had five more hours to wait. Scott was yet again talking about something trivial (I think it was Star Wars – the term 'Jedi' was getting thrown around) and I was just about to interrupt him when we turned the corner and I saw Blaine walking in the opposite direction with his friends. As soon as our eyes met the chemistry fizzled like a firecracker and I bit my lip to stop myself from doing anything inappropriate.

"Kurt." Blaine said, bowing his head slightly and smiling when we reached speaking distance.

"Blaine." My voice had gone squeaky and I flushed bright red at the sound of it – Blaine grinned and pushed a strand of hair back in place on his head.

"See you tonight? At six?"

"Yeah."

"Awesome." Nodding again the seniors walked off and I felt my whole body relax as I exhaled deeply.

"Oh my Prada." That had been smooth. Not.

"_Get it on_." Scott whispered and I jerked my hand out so he jumped out of the way, making me laugh.

* * *

5:30pm. I was still in my dressing gown,

"Oh my Gaga oh my Gaga!" I could _not_ find anything to wear. Clothes were strewn across my floor, creases slowly settling into them so I was going to have to spend a whole day ironing at the weekend. What to do?

"Aaaaah!" Suddenly there was a knock at my door. Thinking it was Blaine turning up early I clamped my hand over my mouth to muffle the shrill scream and inched the door open cautiously, poking my head round so only my eyes were visible.

"Kurt?" Oh thank heavens – it was only Nathaniel. Opening the door fully I saw him look at me strangely.

"Is something wrong? I keep hearing shouts coming from your room." I laughed.

"Oh Nathaniel, I am having a clothing crisis! Blaine is coming in thirty minutes and I have nothing to wear!"

"Seems like you have plenty of clothes." Pointing to the mess that was my bedroom floor I saw him continue to look puzzled.

"You'd think so. But I'm supposed to look casual but not too casual, and I want to impress Blaine but not scare him away…"

"Kurt." I'd trailed off, my panic growing as I realised my situation, but Nathaniel interrupted. "This is a date, with Blaine right?"

"Er, yes."

"Blaine who you've known for months?"

"Yes, but we're supposed to be going back to square one, like we just met-"

"-Square one or not, I'm pretty sure he's seen you in clothes outside your Dalton uniform. Just dress like you normally would. He'll love it either way." I stopped what I was doing and thought. Yes, he was right. If I wanted this to be comfortable I had to treat it like any other night with Blaine. So what if we were going out? I'd spent time with him before – I just needed to relax and let myself do the talking.

"You're right. Thanks Nathaniel – that's the first time I've ever taken fashion advice from a straight guy." Leaning forward I gave him an unexpected hug, before smiling and waving as I shut the door. Right – if I was going to actually go on this date, I needed to get clothed _fast_.

* * *

5:55pm. Waiting by the door.

I felt completely stupid – like a girl waiting for her date to come and pick her up for the prom. Usually those girls got stood up, or their jock boyfriend arrived late in some run down car they'd borrowed from a friend. But my date was dapper and punctual. I only had to wait five more minutes…

Checking myself in the mirror I nodded, happy with my choice of outfit, As I wasn't quite sure what we would actually be doing I'd dressed for multiple occasions – the blue pinstriped shirt making my look smart, but the red skinny jeans and converse adding a casual element to it too. My hair had been attacked with so much hairspray it was almost rock hard (I'd had to open the window to stop myself suffocating from the fumes) and my teeth were most definitely free of any bits and coffee stains. I was well and truly ready.

Knock knock knock.

I nearly fell over at the sound. Looking at my bedside clock I saw I'd been staring at myself for five minutes and it was now 6pm on the dot. Freezing for a few seconds and then walking up and down on the spot to make it look like I hadn't been waiting, I gripped the handle of my door and slowly opened it, bracing myself for and explosion of feelings.

I wasn't wrong. When I first caught sight of Blaine my first reaction was to scream and close the door, the second to jump his bones right there. His outfit was mind-blowing – a brown v-neck sweater with a red polo shirt underneath, black skinny jeans that clung in _all_ the right places, and smart brown shoes. It was simple, but effective. _Boy_ was it effective. The most noticeable thing however (even more noticeable than the fact that this was the first time I'd seen him in clothes that weren't his Dalton uniform or pyjamas) was that his hair wasn't gelled. Styled yes, coiffed to perfection. But I could see small curls, curls that suggested an unruly carefree-ness that made me shiver in delight. Holy hell I had picked a good un.

"Hello." I'd practiced my greeting hundreds of times in front of the mirror, even speaking to a photo of Blaine to try and prepare myself for such an ordeal – my voice was still shaky but I managed to stay relatively normal. It was then, however, that I noticed Blaine's expression. I'd been so absorbed in how he looked that I hadn't even thought about his reaction to me. He was gobsmacked. His mouth was actually hanging open – only a small way, and in a way that made him look adorably cute – but still.

"Er…" An unintelligible sound spilled from his mouth. I giggled and he blushed scarlet, the reaction making me blush too. Marc Jacobs – did I really have this much of an effect on him?

"Blaine, are you ok?" I almost found it amusing that things were happening this way round – I'd expected me to be the burbling mess. Blaine attempted to regain facial control.

"Um, would you be able to give me a second?" For a brief moment I didn't understand what he meant, but then I saw his hand motioning towards my room and realised he wanted me to go back inside.

"Er, ok…" Slowly slipping through the door I pressed my ear to the wood, listening intently. Something that sounded like hands hitting various body parts rang out, before a loud and long exhale. My heart lurched with excitement.

"You can come back now." Eventually I heard Blaine signal my re-entry and opened the door back up to see him looking more ruffled than he had originally been, but decidedly calmer. To my amusement a bit of his hair was sticking up – I thought about leaving it but knew he would kill me when he eventually found out.

"Um, you've got a bit of hair…" Waving my hand in the direction of the offending follicles Blaine frantically pressed down his hair until I nodded and he sighed again.

"Oh God, this isn't going well."

"Don't be silly. I think it's cute." He rolled his eyes and I laughed. "Shall we go?"

"Oh, yes. But _first_…" Reaching out his hand he slipped it into mine, intertwining the fingers and making me sigh with pleasure. "_Now_ we can go."

* * *

I hadn't actually realised Blaine had a car, so was surprised when we walked to the car park and headed towards a rather nice looking vintage Corvette.

"Wait – _this_ _is your car_?" Blaine smiled sheepishly.

"Um yeah, it was a sixteenth birthday present from my parents. I kind of have a thing for vintage cars." A _birthday present_. What had I got for my sixteenth birthday? A new rain mac.

"Jeez…" I ran my fingers over the bonnet, marvelling at how the paint was still a vibrant red.

"It's a 1958. Even better inside." Opening the passenger door with a flourish Blaine gestured to the inside and I quickly obliged, slipping in and gasping at the smart cream interior.

"Woah. I think I could get used to this." As my date got into the drivers seat he laughed, starting the ignition and flashing another breathtaking smile at me.

"To infinity and beyond."

* * *

I had no idea where we were going. From the way Blaine was dressed, I guessed we weren't going to the opera (believe me, the thought had actually crossed my mind) but apart from that I was completely clueless. It was too dark to see any road signs, so I just had to trust that I wasn't being kidnapped to some random warehouse. Whilst we drove though, I still had plenty to occupy myself. As soon as we set off Blaine had switched the stereo on – to my complete delight he had Teenage Dream on, and my keen eyesight saw that it had been put on repeat. As we sped along I heard him begin to sing along, the sweet tones sending me right back to that day in the main common room and I leant back into my seat, relaxing completely. Occasionally we would both take sneaky glances at each other, blushing every time we were caught out and laughing softly at our own immaturity. It was perfect.

Finally we pulled in somewhere – my eyes immediately began scanning the horizon and I saw to my surprise we were on a pretty normal street.

"Where are we?" Looking to my right I saw Blaine had twisted himself round to face me properly, he took one of my hands and looked me straight in the eye.

"Ok, so I have a bit of an confession to make. I cheated slightly." For a second I struggled to make the connection – the word 'cheated' setting off alarm bells in my head.

"If we were actually going on our first date after only having just met, I probably would have taken you to the fanciest restaurant in Westerville, dressed up real smart, splashed my cash horrendously – that kind of thing. But because I know you, and because I think that kind of date just isn't us, I decided to take you somewhere else. But I know that breaks the rules and for that I'm sorry." For a brief moment I was silent, before a smile broke across my face.

"Oh Blaine, you don't need to apologise for that!" It's fine!" I watched his shoulders drop in relief.

"Well I want to be honest about everything now, so there's no nasty surprises." Jeez, he really was the perfect date already – and we hadn't even got to the venue yet.

"I think this is about as far from nasty as we can get." Laughing softly Blaine opened his door. I went to get out myself but he let out a quick shout, holding out his hand so I froze."

"Wait…" Running round the front of the car he opened the door again with another flourish and I laughed, hoisting myself out and patting him lightly on the head.

"Thank you chauffeur."

"You're welcome."

* * *

The place we were headed to was called Sally's – Blaine said it was nothing fancy, but he'd come there all the time as a kid and the food was great. When we got inside I immediately saw the appeal – it was small but somehow still had lots of tables without feeling cramped. The heating was turned on providing a welcome reprieve from the cold winter wind outside and the décor was homey and comfortable. Blaine looked across at me, obviously searching for approval and I smiled happily, putting his expression to rest.

"Hey there Blaine!" A perky young waitress bounded over, her curly brown hair spilling wildly down past her oval shaped face. "How're you doing?"

"Great thanks Alice – this is Kurt." As I was introduced Alice turned to look at me, flashing a friendly smile.

"Hey Kurt! Are you guys eating?"

"Definitely. Table for two please." We were lead over to a booth in the corner of the restaurant – Alice gave us both menus, took our drink orders and bounded off to serve another table.

"She's nice." I said, smiling as I perused the menu – the prices much more reasonable than the restaurant Gabriel and I had dined at.

"Yeah – I've known her for ages. Her parents live just round the corner from here." Obviously not needing to look as intently as I did, Blaine settled for looking at me instead, his eyes holding a quality that made me melt. Gaga, if he'd looked at me like this before the holidays I don't think I would have been able to cope.

"Do you know what you're ordering?"

"Yeah, I get the same thing every time."

"_Every _time?" I held my menu down slightly and raised my eyebrows. Blaine looked puzzled. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well – if you have the same thing every time, how do you know that the other dishes aren't even nicer? You might be missing out on the best…" My eyes quickly scanned the dishes "…pan fried fish in your life." A loud laugh escaped from Blaine's lips, he leant forward and smiled.

"Ok then, _fine_. Just for you I'm going to have something different."

"Excellent." I grinned, returning back to my menu, now trying to figure out my own order.

"But if it's horrible I'm blaming it on you."

* * *

While we waited for our dishes to arrive we talked about all kinds of different things – our holidays (I went into great detail about Scott's visit, including the lightsaber and him and Mercedes. Blaine had spent most of his Christmas hiding from family members and 'listening to soppy Disney love songs') midterms, our plans for Regionals. I'd forgotten how easy it was to talk to Blaine – before things had got complicated he'd been my best friend, and nothing seemed too intense or weird. When our food did arrived my stomach rumbled loudly and I realised how hungry I actually was.

"One Carbonara, and one pan fried fish." Alice placed the dishes on the table with a flourish, before quickly leaving us to enjoy them. I still couldn't believe Blaine had picked the dish I'd randomly selected, but after one bite he nodded his head in approval and I laughed. Stabbing my fork in my food without looking I glanced down and immediately felt my stomach drop. Oh no. I'd ordered the Carbonara because I knew I loved it, and if Blaine's comments were anything to go by then it would be expertly done. What I'd forgotten was the primary rule of a first date – the rule Scott had told me over and over again.

**Never order spaghetti**.

The long pieces of pasta stared back at me, chuckling at my panic. Spaghetti meant dripping sauce, ruined clothes, ungainly slurping or wide mouthed dangling. Fine when I was home alone watching Chicago in my pyjamas. Not fine on a date with the boy of your dreams.

"Kurt? Are you ok?" Looking back at Blaine I realised in horror that he had noticed my change of expression. How did I explain this?

"Um…um…"

"Is it not right? Do you want me to go and change it?"

"No!" Darting my arm out I stopped him from getting up. "No, it's fine. I just…spaghetti." I pointed down at my meal and hoped he would understand. For a second his face was blank, before slowly, realisation crept in.

"_Oh_." Burying my head in my hands I groaned.

"Scott _told_ me about this, he _told_ me."

"Hey, hey! No stress. It's just pasta." I felt a hand on my arm and looked up.

"Pasta that's impossible to eat alluringly."

"You want to eat alluringly?" Immediately I cursed, making Blaine laugh.

"Well…um…you know what I mean."

"Here." Suddenly I felt him reach out to grab my hand, slipping the fork in and bringing it over to my food.

"What you want to do, is just twist." Gently he pressed it into the spaghetti, before twisting my hand slowly round so the pasta curled around the steel. Reaching over had brought his face dangerously close to mine and I could smell the tarragon on his breath. Marc Jacobs…

"And bring it up…" My hand was lifted again, Blaine brought it up to my face and motioned for me to open my mouth, slipping the fork inside and waiting for me to take the food before removing it. "Simple." I was having to remember to breathe, let alone chew.

"Er, thanks." I said, once I'd finished my mouthful. (I certainly wasn't going to forget any more of Scott's rules.) Blaine had resumed eating but was smiling at me in a way that almost had me drooling.

"No problem. And don't worry if you have to slurp – I actually think it's pretty sexy." Without being able to stop it my face flushed red, I looked down into my meal and heard a soft, husky laugh. Jeez Kurt. _Jeez_.

* * *

The rest of the meal was fairly uneventful – Blaine declared the pan fried fish his new favourite dish and as a result refused to let me pay for anything. (I had a feeling however, this was simply a ruse and that he'd planned to shout me all along.) This time as we drove home the stereo was silent – both of us using the time to reflect on the evening. I was beginning to feel butterflies in my stomach, which increased to a whole flock of them when we pulled back into Dalton.

"So…" As we ascended the stairs of Wilde I was beginning to feel sick, my heartbeat increasing with every step forward. "Did you have a good night?"

"Oh, Prada, yes." I replied instantly, looking up at Blaine and hoping I didn't look as terrified as I felt.

"Good. Because I did too." We reached the door to my room and both stopped by it, me turning so I faced the Wordsworth Head Boy and felt my nerves step up yet another notch.

"And now we're here." I found myself glancing at the door, even though I knew exactly where we were. I was finding it hard to look into Blaine's eyes, the emotions they brought out difficult to control.

"Did we say anything in our agreement, about a kiss?" I gulped.

"Yes…Yes we did."

"When did we say it was?"

"At the, um, end of the…date." Christ, this was torture. I wasn't sure if Blaine was enjoying it, or of he was as nervous as me.

"And this is the end? Because we can do something else if you like-"

"-No. This is the end." The conviction in my voice surprised Blaine – a small smile crept across his face and he stepped closer, making my breathing quicken.

"Great. Now I know we want to take this slow – if there's anything you don't like or you want me to stop then just say." As he spoke he reached his hand up to run through my hair, chuckling slightly when his fingers got caught from the hairspray. The feeling on his skin on mine made me moan softly.

"Blaine I…"

"Yes Kurt?" The care in his voice, the softness and sincerity, sent me wild.

"I want to kiss you." Leaning forward, Blaine let me do just that.

* * *

All the times I'd imagined kissing Blaine. Sitting in history whilst Mr Mackey talked about the Greeks, learning new harmonies at Warbler practice, lying in my bed alone in the middle of the night. The fantasy had begun to become so old and frequent I feared it wouldn't have any effect, or the real thing wouldn't be able to live up to it. As it turned out, my imagination, _and_ Gabriel for that matter, had been way off base.

As soon as Blaine's lips touched mine we both exhaled, the joint sound sending shivers down my spine so I immediately moved in closer. Slowly we started to kiss, the feeling of our lips sliding against each other heavenly. I could tell Blaine was holding back, he still tasted of tarragon, but with other delicious flavours in there too – coffee, toothpaste, bubblegum. Once we had kissed once I felt him begin to pull away, but I wasn't ready to finish. Moving my hand to the back of his neck I pushed him back towards me again, but the movement was a little rougher than I expected and we clashed teeth. This seemed to trigger something in Blaine, a switch that had been held down off but was suddenly allowed to turn on. Grabbing my face in his hands he pulled me to him again, pressing our lips together much harder and much more earnestly than before. Enjoying the surprise movement I obliged, kissing him as deeply as I thought I could manage. Blaine went further, wedging his hands into my hair so I moaned into his mouth and he moaned back. Suddenly I felt tongue on my teeth, running along them in a way that almost had me crying out. For a split second I deliberated the option, before succumbing and opening my mouth slightly. Blaine's tongue darted in instantly and quickly began exploring my mouth, moving so sensually and expertly I wondered if he taught lessons, and if I could have some.

"God." For the first time ever I spoke religiously, digging my hands further into the back of Blaine's neck and making him groan yet again. I felt my knees begin to go weak and he noticed, pushing me so we were pressed up against the door. Kissing me harder and harder I felt his hands begin to move from my head downwards, running over my collarbone, across my arms, down my sides to the sensitive bit of skin round my waist…Jerking upwards I darted my hand out towards the doorknob, turning it and thanking everything alive that I'd forgotten to lock it when we left.

Stumbling into my room we both let out satisfied groans as our bodies rubbed together, the friction doing all kinds of things to my emotions and hunger for Blaine Blaine Blaine. Without wasting any time I dragged him over to the bed, letting myself fall down so he landed on top of me, the feeling making us both cry out with pleasure. Hoisting me further up Blaine attacked me again and I responded just as eagerly, slipping my own tongue into his mouth and groaning almost continuously.

"God, Blaine." His hands were going wild again and I followed suit, running them down his back so he arched towards me and stopping by the belt of his trousers. Holy crap, holy crap. I thought over and over again, my pulse beating faster than I'd ever felt it before. Blaine had moved his hands down to my trouser line too and when I felt them begin to descend further I jerked violently upwards, suddenly knocking him in the chest with my knee.

* * *

"Ow!" The magic was broken – Blaine sat up clutching his chest and I immediately got up too.

"Oh, Gaga I'm so, sorry, I didn't, mean to." I could barely get my words out – both of us were panting like we'd just run a marathon, thin lines of sweat beginning to trickle down the sides of our faces.

"No, it's ok." Now that I knew he was ok I was filled with want again, so pulled him roughly down towards me, only to be stopped.

"Kurt!" Abruptly I let go, disappointment and hurt gracing my features. Blaine moved back in closer but didn't kiss me.

"We're supposed, to be taking, it slow."

"Screw slow." Again I tried to pull him down and again I was stopped. I let out a desperate whine and saw the effect it had on him.

"Kurt, _please_, I want you _so bad_ but I promised you – _we_ promised." Reluctantly I released my grip on his collar, flopping back down onto the bed and sighing loudly.

"_Fine._" Blaine still looked completely torn – I wanted to convince him to relent, but we _had_ made an agreement. Really I should have been grateful he was keeping his word.

"I'm not happy about this though."

"_Believe me_ – neither am I."

"You made me say God twice - that's got to count for something."

"And I'll make you say it again - but now I have to go." Leaning forward Blaine placed a soft kiss on my forehead, the feeling making me shiver so he smiled warmly.

"Same time tomorrow?"

"What? The making out session?"

"_No_ silly – another date." My mouth pouted in disappointment and Blaine hit me lightly on the head, both of us laughing.

"Definitely." Gazing into my eyes I watched him sort out his clothes, which had become rather ruffled and unkempt from our shenanigans, before getting up slowly and walking towards the door.

"I can't wait." One last second of staring, and he was gone. I rolled over onto my front, buried my head into my pillow and squealed in delight.


	23. Second

_Guys. I know it's been a while since the last chapter (well, a while compared to normal, most of you probably haven't noticed :D)_

_I would put this down to my major workload, but to be honest the realisation that **KLAINE IS NOW OFFICIALLY CANON** has had me reeling for days._

_Finally our fanfiction actually means something!_

_Ryan Murphy on March 15th - this is dedicated to you_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 23 - Second**

"I thought I was supposed to be in charge of this date." The sound of burbled chatter was all around us, the lights dim and the smell of popcorn clogging up my nostrils. Blaine looked at me guiltily from his position in the queue beside me.

"Um…sorry?" We shuffled forward a few more steps and I laughed. I'd been frantically trying to think of date ideas that could possibly match the wonder that was yesterday, only to be rung up the next morning and told it was all under control. The cinema – it wasn't exactly complex. I could easily have planned it. When we reached the front of the queue I looked up at the showing times board and a small smile graced my face. Ok, so it was Sound of Music night. I suppose that had required a little thought.

"Two tickets to the 6:45 showing please." Blaine said cheerfully. I was guessing he thought there was no need to state the film – we were, after all, two guys going to the cinema together, and he was wearing a 'so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen goodbye' t-shirt. A t-shirt with braces and a blazer and possibly _the_ most perfect skinny jeans in the world. Who knew under that dapper uniformed exterior lived a fashion genius? Well, a genius for my libido anyway.

"That'll be $15 please." The rather gawky looking cashier stared at us expectantly and I began fishing around in my jeans pocket for a note. Before my hand had even resurfaced however, Blaine whipped out his wallet and set the cash on the table.

"Hey! I have to pay!"

"Don't be silly Kurt, I'm paying."

"No! I have to!" My voice was a little louder than expected, but I was annoyed. The cashier looked uncertain as to whether to take the money, his hand hovering over it nervously, but Blaine nodded his head briskly and it was snatched away.

"_Kurt_." I couldn't tell whether his tone was diffusing or condescending – as he was handed our tickets I stalked off in front of him, my eyes staring down at the floor.

"Hey! Kurt!" Quickly I heard Blaine's pace speed up and he wound his arm round my waist to try and get me to stop. Despite how amazingly good it felt, I kept my head down.

"Kurt, I'm sorry, what's wrong?" I thought about keeping my sulk up a little longer, but knew it would kill him so slowly looked back up.

"You can't keep paying for things Blaine. It's not _fair_." A small laugh graced the Head Boy's lips, but was quickly diffused.

"Of course it's fair. I organise the date – I pay. It's not as if I don't have the money."

"Yes, I know, but that's not the point. We're supposed to be _equal_." At this he stopped.

"You don't think we're equal?"

"Well, no. In fact…I kind of feel like you're the boy and I'm the girl." I paused, wondering if I'd said too much. Blaine pondered.

"Technically I'm more like the girl cause I'm shorter than you." He said with a smile.

"But I can hit higher notes."

"I cried at Titanic."

"Me too." We both looked at each other, grinned and laughed simultaneously.

"Let's just say that we're both the girls. But I'm the girl that pays on this date." I scowled but let Blaine slip his arm through mine and take us off towards the food counter.

"I'll let you buy me some popcorn if you want."

"Salty or sweet?"

"Oh, sweet baby, definitely sweet."

* * *

When we reached the screen I saw we were not the only Sound of Music fans. In fact, there seemed to be a large number of couples also using the showing as an excuse for a date. Walking past a large family who were dressed up as the Von Trapps I chuckled.

"Well this is just adorable."

"Yeah, but no crazy making out in the back row for us." Blaine replied. He pretended to look disappointed and I gave him a light shove.

"Shut up. That's not part of the rules anyway."

"Damn those rules." I laughed again at his muttering but felt my heart flutter at the thought of Blaine actually wanting to make out with me.

Reaching our row Blaine held out his arm to let me go first and I scooted down to our seats, checking my ticket and the seat number to make sure we had the right ones. Sitting down I looked up to see him balancing the huge box of popcorn and drinks that I had purchased (funny how he'd been the one that had ended up carrying them. I guessed I could cope with him being the man of the relationship in that situation) and edging himself onto his seat. I laughed, taking the popcorn from him and wedging it between us. My hand reached out to take a scoopful, but Blaine coughed.

"Um, excuse me, the popcorn doesn't go there." I looked up.

"Hmm?"

"It doesn't go there."

"Where does it go then?" Without saying anything he picked up the box and placed it down on the floor in front of us, I glanced back in confusion.

"If it's in the middle of us there's no space for this." Again without speaking Blaine sat down, pushed up the seat dividing arm rest and pulled me towards him, the movement surprising me so I fell forward into his chest.

"Um, whaaa…?" It took me a while to figure out what we were doing, until I felt an arm wrap round me and realised we were cuddling.

"We are allowed to cuddle aren't we? That fits with the rules." I blushed.

"Um, yeah, I suppose." When you thought about it, we had done this kind of thing before. Reaching forward to grab some popcorn Blaine brought the box up to rest beside his hip, holding out a few pieces to me, which I gratefully popped into my mouth. Definitely the best ever trip to a cinema already.

* * *

The film started, but I was finding it very hard to concentrate. Apart from our heated contact yesterday I hadn't been this close to Blaine in weeks. The feeling of his warm body against mine, as well as the gorgeous musky smell of coffee and sandalwood and the sound of his even breathing – well it was driving me insane. To make matters worse every so often his hand would trail along my arm or move to caress my fingers gently, meaning I repeatedly had to grit my teeth. The contrast of the nuns on screen and the horrendously un-holy thoughts running through my mind was almost funny – I didn't know how Blaine was putting up with it. Unless he knew and was just teasing me.

* * *

Towards the final scenes I decided to abandon Maria and the Von Trapps altogether, letting my mind drift off to think about dates I could plan for Blaine and I. Things were obviously going well, so I figured there were definitely going to be more of them. Once we reached the third date we were officially a couple, which meant no more rules and, gulp, no more constraints on kissing. So, what would make a good third date…?

"Kurt?" Suddenly I felt a whispering in my ear, I was jolted out of my thoughts to hear Blaine.

"What?"

"That Von Trapp child looks like a blonde Nathanial." Gazing back at the screen I saw that yes, the smaller and blonder reincarnation of my friend was now dancing across the screen in frightening clothes. A small laugh escaped from my lips, but the feeling of Blaine's breath against my face had sent yet more shivers through me and I clenched my fist to avoid them becoming too noticeable.

Eventually the final credits rolled and we both sat up, disappointment running through me as I was released from the warm body contact and into the cold clear air.

"Well, that was great." Blaine said cheerfully. He reached his arms up to stretch, practically displaying his whole upper torso right in front of me so I had to stop my eyes from widening. "Did you like it?"

"Um, yeah, of course." I replied nervously, not quite sure what I was referring to. Standing up he brushed the remaining popcorn kernels off him and picked up his jacket, his other hand slipping into mine once more.

"You ready to head?"

* * *

Pulling up into Dalton again I felt the same swarm of butterflies descend once more. Was it going to be like this every time?

"Kurt?" A glance to my right saw Blaine looking at me with a concerned expression – obviously my nerves were showing. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." I replied nervously, causing his eyebrows to furrow in the most gorgeous way possible. "Can we go for a walk? I don't want to go back just yet." The expression softened.

"Yeah, sure." My car door was opened for me again and hand in hand we walked off towards the main grounds.

* * *

The evening air was crisp – it was nice to be able to cuddle up to Blaine and know he was enjoying the contact as much as I was. Our footsteps crunched on the gravel path and echoed around happily. Nobody else was around – we were the only two people there.

"So…" Blaine began, a smile encroaching on his flawless face. His fingers had interlocked with mine again and were rubbing gentle circles on my knuckles. "What do you want to talk about?" The question made me ponder. What _did_ I want to talk about?

"I dunno." If truth be told, I was enjoying the silence. Just having Blaine there was enough. "Tell me more about yourself." Immediately I regretted the statement. Blaine's free hand smacked up to his forehead and I cringed.

"Ergh, _Kurt_!"

"Sorry!" What a complete faux pas.

"I thought we were better than that. Plus I'm pretty sure we've already talked about everything worth knowing about me."

"I know, I'm such an idiot, oh Gaga…" I looked at the ground in embarrassment and Blaine chuckled, stopping us and bringing his hand under my chin so he looked into my eyes.

"But, what did you have in mind?"

"Um…" Those hazel pools were confusing me again, my thoughts spiralling off into the scenarios I'd imagined during the film. "What about your childhood? You haven't told me much about that." Blaine smiled, his head nodding slowly in approval. My chin was released and we began to walk side by side again.

"That is true. Go ahead, ask away."

"Well…what did you want to be when you were little?" Another laugh echoed round the grounds.

"You _really_ want to know?"

"Of course."

"A football player." My eyes widened and subconsciously I took a step back. Blaine laughed and my face coloured I embarrassment.

"I know, right? That was back when I was trying to be straight."

"Blaine, a football player. You learn something new every day..." My disapproval was completely faked – actually the thought of Blaine in full football gear was…well it was very nice.

"Well that dream died many years ago, when I realised I fancied the players more than I aspired to be them." I snorted and he smiled, squeezing my hand. "From that point on it was Broadway or no way. What about you?"

"Me? Well, I suppose the bright lights have always been appealing – but I enjoy giving people makeovers way too much to let that talent slip."

"A fashion stylist eh? Maybe you can design the costumes for my plays." I laughed again. Blaine looked confused.

"Oh Blaine. Isn't that a little kindergarten? We're going to live together and still watch the same TV programmes and have dogs – it's going to be the best fun _ever_!" He shrugged.

"You never know, it could happen." I felt pressure on my fingers and suddenly realised he was being serious. Colour graced my cheeks and I buried my face in his shoulder to hide it.

* * *

Walking down the corridor to Wilde I was faced with a huge dilemma. Did I move slowly to prolong my time with Blaine, or speed up to get to the kiss? My erratic change of pace was beginning to confuse the Wordsworthian, so I eventually settled for normal. When we reached my door Blaine lifted our interlocked hands in the air and spun me around like we were dancing. Upon stopping I bumped into his chest and he smiled, kissing me lightly on the tip of my nose.

"Hey!" I scolded, giving him a light tap. "That's not allowed."

"Sorry." The smile widened and I couldn't resist bringing my arms up to twine around his neck. "So, did you enjoy our second date?" Blaine's arms were now round my waist, pulling us in closer so we could feel each other's breath.

"Of course. It was perfect. But I want full control of the third."

"Oh, don't worry – I hand over full control. You can do whatever you want."

"Thank you." My fingers had begun to stroke the hair on the back of his neck and he titled his head to the side, positively purring.

"So is this one over now?"

"I think so." Without another pause for breath our lips met and we both exhaled deeply again. If it felt this good kissing Blaine every time I didn't know how I was going to be able to stop. As our tongues duelled my grip on his neck became fiercer, fingernails digging into the skin, and the groan that escaped made my whole body shiver. Slow Kurt, slow… Oh how could I be slow when I had all of this? I went to pull Blaine towards the door but he sensed the change and broke away, both of us gasping as our lips parted.

"_Blaine_" I whined, making him pant harder.

"How do you _do_ that?" He asked incredulously.

"How do _I _do that? How do _you_ do that?" We looked at each other for a couple of seconds before laughing.

"Third date here we come."


	24. Third

_So, as the third date dawns, I have a request for you guys. Somebody was asking about smut, and I'm not quite sure what to do. _

_I've never written smut before and I know we have some young readers - I have changed to story rating to T, but would anybody want smut? I wasn't planning on doing it but if the demand is high then obviously I will try :D Please get back to me through reviews or whatever with your views._

_Also, I went ahead and created a Facebook page for You Do Or You Dalton._

_The URL is f a c e b o o k .com/pages/You-Do-Or-You-Dalton/161580163895694?sk=wall so please like so I'm not the only one! Lol_

_(Obviously delete the spaces because fanfiction. net is a bitch with links)_

_Thanks_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 24 - Third**

My salad leaves looked exceptionally green today. In fact, everything seemed brighter since Blaine and I had started going out. It was like our love cast a new light on the world – making things more vivid and interesting. I had spent a good five minutes staring at a leaf on a tree because the colours and the water droplets on it had been so striking. If I was going mad, then this was the best possible way to be doing it.

"So, you and Blaine are couple now?" Artem took another bite of his sandwich (beef and horseradish – some Russian thing I imagined) and looked at me questioningly. I smiled.

"Well, technically not yet. It's only after the third date that we are officially 'together'. But we are dating, yes."

"And you have rules?"

"Yes – no major PDAs, a maximum of four hours per date, and one kiss at the end of each one." I laughed at the confusion that graced his expression – the multitude of unfamiliar phrases making his eyebrows furrow. "Public Displays of Affection." I added, explaining one of them.

"Rules are silly – why you just no be together?" My eyes moved to Stefan, who was sitting next to my old roomie and also tucking into a very meaty sandwich. His growth in confidence had been astounding in just a few weeks.

"Well, it's not quite as simple as that. We made a lot of mistakes, misread a lot of feelings. We have to start from the beginning otherwise we're just going to rush and make those mistakes again. If that means making rules and sticking by them, then that's what we have to do." A brief silence descended over our table as the two Europeans slowly processed my words – their brains almost ticking like machines as they worked. I was probably going to have to remember to speak slower when making long speeches.

"Maybe I should make rules for me and Ashley…" Artem muttered, his eyes still gazing into space and I laughed.

"I think you two are pretty safe – don't worry about it."

* * *

Glancing over at the senior table (which was never normally that full due to there being sandwiches in their common room) I caught the eye of Wes and David, who immediately smiled and nudged each other. If they had quizzed Blaine as much as my friends had quizzed me, then they definitely knew everything. I wondered if they had to cope with their Head Boy gazing off into space mid conversation as much as I did – it was hard not to when he was constantly on my mind. Even now I was picturing those deep hazel eyes and sweet pink lips on mine…

"Kurt!" Abruptly I jumped too, causing Wes and David to laugh and shoot me 'smooth!' looks.

"Er, yeah?" Artem looked slightly put out that I hadn't been listening.

"You will come and see me fence on Friday?" Oh yeah, his tournament. The inter house events were starting soon – Scott had been bugging me about the football one whenever we talked about something that wasn't Blaine.

"Yeah, sure, definitely. I'll bring Blaine." I saw Stefan subtly roll his eyes but chose to ignore it. That could be a good third date…no, I had to come up with something better than that. Think Kurt, think… Stabbing my fork back into my salad I left the dinning hall behind and let my thoughts drift off again.

* * *

Later on that evening I sat in my room staring at my computer screen. I had a history paper due for next week but was struggling for inspiration. Wade and Steven were working together on something about the Trojans, and I had been thinking of doing something equally Grecian, but it was hard to delve my mind back into the past when all I could think of was the future. How was it going to feel when Blaine and I were finally together? Would it be any different? Obviously we could be more public (the thought of which both thrilled and scared the living daylights out of me) but would the feelings change? I couldn't imagine them getting any more intense than they had been, but you never knew. Maybe Blaine was holding something back, waiting for the right time. I shivered to think how awesome that would be if it were true.

As I gazed into space yet again my phone suddenly began to buzz. A hand shot out instinctively and brought it up to my face, my expression faltering slightly when I saw it wasn't Blaine, but pulling back together and smiling when I read the name Mercedes.

"Helloooo!" I said happily into the speaker once I'd pressed accept.

"Kurt!" The surprise in her voice confused me – I wondered if she'd been trying to contact me earlier.

"Wassup?" Oh dear Westwood – love was turning me into a gangster.

"Nothing much, I just wanted to chat. How are things with you and Blaine?" It was at that point I remembered why I valued her so highly as a friend.

"Blaine and I are…great." I tried to put nonchalance in my voice, but cracked seconds later. "Oh my Gaga it is just perfect he's perfect I am the happiest guy alive!" The laughter down the phone was all I needed.

"I gather it's going well then. What did you do for date two?"

"Sound of Music showing." Once again sounds of approval travelled up the line. "Even though it was supposed to be _my_ date."

"But Kurt, you can't fault him for _that_! You love the Sound of Music!"

"_I know_. That's what makes it so annoying. I couldn't even be mad at him." I shook my head even though she couldn't see and Mercedes chuckled.

"What else did you do?"

"Well, after the film I kind of didn't want to go back to Wilde just yet, so we went for a walk in the grounds."

"Ooh, how romantic!"

"I guess if kind of was. Found out Blaine wanted to be a football player when he was younger."

"A _football player_?"

"I know!" I exclaimed, glad somebody else had the same reaction I did.

"That's weird. But him in pads…" Dear Marc Jacobs how were we so alike?

"_EXACTLY._ Then we went back to Wilde and…" I paused for effect, laughing at the impatient noise Mercedes made.

"Well?"

"He's still an amazing kisser." The squeal down the phone was so loud I moved the speaker away from my ear. Even though I was struggling not to squeal myself.

"Ergh Kurt, I am so jealous. I barely get to see Scott at _all_." The sudden sadness in her voice made me stop.

"You talk all the time though?"

"Yeah, but it's not the _same_ you know? I miss him."

"Aww. I know he misses you too. You should do another surprise attack on Dalton, come see him."

"Believe me, I want to. But Shuester has already got us brainstorming for Regionals. I barely have time to think anymore." For a second I felt a pang of sadness – the Warblers were beginning to conjugate ideas, but we hadn't started putting together a set list just yet. I missed the image of Mr Shue desperately trying to sell a new Journey song, or some romantic ballad nobody had ever heard of.

"Sounds like fun." Glancing back at my computer screen I saw I had a new instant message from Scott.

**Kurtenbert, do you have the answers to that Trig homework we were set? I'm so bored of it already.**

Smiling I typed out a response as Mercedes began telling me about something Rachel had said at one of the practices.

_I think the point of homework is that you're supposed to do it yourself._

**But where's the fun in that? Pleeeease Kurt.**

_No._

**You suck.**

"Kurt? Why is that funny?" I suddenly realised I'd laughed in the middle of our conversation, my mouth stretching out into an 'oops'

"Sorry, Scott is instant messaging me about Trig, he wants the answers."

"Scott? Is he there?" The hope in her voice was adorable.

"Sadly no, I am being abused over the internet."

_Mercedes says hi_

I typed into the message box, clicking send and counting the number of seconds before a reply popped up.

**Mercedes? Is she here?**

_No, on the phone._

Jeez. Did these two ever just talk to each other? I felt like their own carrier pigeon.

"I have alerted him of your presence. All hell has broken loose." Another laugh carried through the phone and I smiled. I suppose I could forgive their idiocy when they were so darn cute. Although I could probably put up with just about anything when I had Blaine to think about during it. Ah, Blaine…

"Oh, crap, Mum is calling me from downstairs, Total Wipeout must be on. Can I love you and leave you?" Mercedes suddenly said, half in sadness and half in excitement over the thought of watching stupid Americans fall off big rotating obstacles. I chuckled.

"Of course. I'm happy to be usurped for a TV show."

"Hey! It's not like that! I can miss it if you want."

"No, no, it's fine. I have a history paper to do anyway."

"Okies. Love you!"

"Love you too." I hung up and let the phone drop down with a clunk onto my desk.

_She's gone now._

**Mercedes?**

_Yeah._

**Still not giving me those Trig answers?**

_No._

Scott signed off, in what I assumed was a protest, and I laughed, leaning back into my chair. Ergh, this stupid paper. We were living in a world where cars could park themselves and people in wheelchairs could walk – surely somebody must have created a robot that did your work for you by now? Alas, there was still no such thing, or the people at Dalton were extremely stingy. Looking once again at my computer screen my eyes caught one of the many pictures that made up my desktop background, a picture that was also stuck onto my wall with the rest of the written on photos.

Screw work. I had an idea.

* * *

When Blaine opened his door, I was pleased to see he looked surprised, but happy.

"Kurt." He said warmly, a large smile spreading across his face. "What a nice surprise. Wait – is something wrong?" Suddenly his face darkened with worry, a hand reaching out to grab my arm protectively. I laughed.

"Oh Blaine, surely if I had a problem I would go to my Head Boy, not the guy that I'm dating."

"Oh, yeah, of course…" He looked at the floor, embarrassed and I moved my fingers up to stroke his hand, eventually making him look up and smile again.

"So, what brings you here then?"

"Um…Warbler stuff." Shoot. I'd almost blown my cover. Luckily Blaine didn't seem to notice and he let me into the room with no other questions. I still couldn't quite believe how huge his bedroom actually was – I could have performed the whole Single Ladies routine in here with Tina and Brittany with room to spare. Blaine went over to his bed to fish out some papers and I sat down on the sofa. A sofa that already held many memories, some good and some bad.

"You wont believe all the paperwork I have to do as a Head Boy." He said, walking back over and plonking himself closely beside me, the brushing of our arms together making me smile. "Look." He held up a piece of paper with the Dalton crest and a formal looking title and I gazed blankly at it, wondering if I was supposed to be able to understand. "The rules and regulations for the inter house competitions." Luckily I didn't have to ask. "Xavier keeps trying to bring in new clauses and we have to sign and date the papers every time." At the mention of the Darwin Head Boy my eyes rolled.

"Ergh, _Xavier_. You're not actually friends with him are you?" Blaine looked at me.

"No, not really. Are you _still_ mad about him rejecting your Sectionals idea?" I blushed.

"No…but look," craning over to take another glance at the sheet I read out the first clause I could see, "All competitor's meals must be monitored the day before participation – what the hell is up with that?"

"Well, when you have more mathletes than athletes in your house, you try and bend the rules as much as possible." He smiled and I was forced to smile back.

"I still think he's an idiot…" Folding my arms in a sulk as I muttered, I nestled into Blaine's side and felt him sigh, dropping the sheet onto his lap and bringing his hand up to stroke my hair.

"So, what did you want my help with again?"

"History paper." I murmured into his shoulder, closing my eyes as I breathed in his wonderful scent.

"I thought it was Warbler stuff?" Damn. Immediately my eyes flashed open and my head jerked up. Blaine laughed and my face turned beetroot.

"Um…yeah…it was." I mumbled, but to no effect. I was busted.

"Why exactly _did_ you come over Kurt?" He asked with a devilish smile.

"Oh, ok, _fine_ – I came over to spend more time with you but it totally worked because here we are now cuddling." As if to emphasise my point I dug my face back into Blaine's shoulder and pulled the other of his arms around my waist. A deep chuckle echoed around the room and I felt a hand prise my face back upwards.

"Yes, it seems it did work."

"I do actually have a history paper due though. And you could probably help me with Warbler stuff too."

"I think cuddling's fine for now." Letting another gorgeous smile spread across his face Blaine ran his fingers across my cheek and I sighed with pleasure.

* * *

We spent a good half hour or so on the sofa, just talking. Blaine explained more of his Head Boy duties to me and I decided I was more than happy with my medium workload of history papers and surprise trig tests. The feeling of our bodies together was so natural I wondered why we hadn't thought of doing it before, and staying like that forever. It was perfect.

* * *

"Oh God, Kurt." Blaine's voice broke me from the dream-like daze I'd fallen into and I glanced sleepily up to his face.

"What?"

"Look at the time." Moving to look at the digital clock by his bed, my heart lurched when I saw it read 8:45pm

"If you really do have a history paper then I suggest you get back and do it." At the mention of leaving I immediately groaned, digging my head back into warm body and curling up into a ball.

"No. Don't make me leave…" I protested. Blaine laughed.

"Come on Kurt." Hands moved to prise me away and I made an attempt to fight back, losing until a sudden surge made me fall forwards so our noses bumped together.

"Hmm." I said happily, my face hovering inches from Blaine's. I saw him briefly ponder the thought, but sadly pull away, bringing me to my feet.

"Time for bye bye." Grumbling, I brushed down my blazer and sorted out my hair, beginning to move towards the door before I was suddenly hit with inspiration.

"Hey," I began, spinning around so Blaine was almost knocked over, "does this count as our third date?"

"Of course not." He replied incredulously, picking up cushions and rearranging them on the sofa. "You have to organise the third date."

"If this is a date then we get to kiss at the end." Instantly Blaine jerked upright. Before I could blink he was in front of me again.

"This is definitely, _definitely_ a date." He said hurriedly, taking hold of my hands. "A very good date. But sadly one that is now most _definitely_ over." I laughed, but Blaine was too eager, pulling me in before I'd even finished. I have to say the feeling was one I would be repeating. The kiss was still urgent, but this time seemed to hold a lot more tenderness. Blaine's hands immediately went to twine in my hair, but they held me gently and his tongue moved slowly across my teeth. I concentrated on his back, running my hands up and down in time with our rhythm so we both murmured in approval. The incredible want was still there, but for once I felt no need to push it further, revelling in the kiss until it slowly and sadly drew to a close.

"Er, wow." Blaine said breathlessly when our lips finally parted. Wow indeed.

"Does this mean we're finally together now?" I asked, hope colouring my tone. He smiled.

"It does. You are now officially my boyfriend, boyfriend."

"_Boyfriend_." I said, trying to get used to the word. "I think I like that."

"Me too, boyfriend."

"Boyfriend."

"Boyfriend."

"_Boyfriend_." Chuckling, I pulled Blaine in for another kiss. He didn't relent.


	25. Fencing

_Right! I have news on the smut front!_

_Thanks to everyone who got back to me - we had a lot of people saying they wanted it and a lot saying they didn't, so I'm going to do it like this:_

_There will be no smut in YDOYD - the story is still a T so there will be some pretty intense makeout scenes, but nothing more than that._

_To please the people that wanted smut, I am thinking of writing a seperate story, which will either be a extra chapter of this or a completely different story altogether - this will be M rated. I can't say when it will be put up though because I am super busy and want to concentrate mainly on writing YDOYD. But it will happen._

_Also a HUGE thanks to the people that joined the Facebook group - I have had some nice conversations with the 5 people on there! Lol. Please can other people join too, and take part in the polls/questions I'm asking, because it will actually help me with the writing._

_Ok, I think that's it - enjoy the fencing tournament!_

_Liz xxx_

_

* * *

_**Chapter 25 - Fencing**

The next morning I woke up to a text.

**Morning boyfriend.**

Rolling across my bed I clutched my phone to my chest and laughed, high-pitched excited girly laughter. I was tempted to ring him up, but knew we'd be trapped in conversation for hours and I would definitely miss Spanish. Showering was the next call.

On the way to class I received my next message.

**Do you want to grab lunch together? You can meet me at the common room or I can sit with your friends.**

After the initial internal squealing I pondered the thought. Another trip to the senior common room was an appealing prospect, but I wanted to show my support for Artem throughout the day, as he prepared for the evening fencing tournament. Hmm… My thoughts were interrupted however when I walked into the classroom and was yet again ambushed by Scott.

"Hey Kurt, got a text from the boyfriend?" He grinned and I looked back at him, surprised. Normally he would have been the first to know about such major events, but I'd spent the rest of the evening working on my paper, so had had no time to tell my news to anyone.

"You think I don't know? Blaine's been shouting it to anyone that'll listen." His grin widened and I blushed, looking back down at the text, which made me blush even more.

"That's…nice." I responded weakly, not really knowing what else to say. Scott laughed.

"Oh God Kurt, how old are you – thirteen? It's freakin AMAZING! You finally got what you wanted." I received a thundering slap on my back and tried not to cringe, smiling instead.

"I guess I did."

"So? Is it from him?" Motioning to my phone Scott looked questioning again and I nodded.

"Yeah, He wants to meet for lunch in the common room."

"_The common room?_" Immediately the eyes of my best friend lit up. "Oh my God those sandwiches…" I laughed as he began salivating.

"I don't know if I should go though," I continued, ignoring the horrified look that was shot my way, "I'm supposed to be supporting Artem." Scott's aghast expression dissolved.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. The fencing thing's today huh?"

"Yup."

"Darn it. I guess those sandwiches will have to wait." Sitting down at our desks I quickly typed a reply into my phone and slipped it back into my pocket, noticing Scott glancing at me happily as I did so.

"Why are you so cheerful?" I asked incredulously. "It's almost like Blaine's _your_ boyfriend!" He grinned again.

"I'm just happy because now I get to be your proper best friend." My eyebrows furrowed.

"Proper best friend?"

"Yeah. I was the friend, but Blaine was always the _best_ friend, because you loved him. Now that he's the boyfriend _I_ get to be the best friend at last." Laughter spilt out of my lips – I glanced back over at Scott to see if he was joking but the expression on his face stayed the same. Dear Gaga, he was actually serious about this.

"Scott – you've _always_ been my best friend." I replied, still not quite believing what I'd heard. "Blaine was…well he was something different."

"Whatever Trevor, I still get all the best friend perks." I was about to enquire about what these were, before Scott my textbook and began leafing through it for the notes I'd scribbled about last lesson. So _that's _how it was going to be…

* * *

At lunchtime I was nervous. My couscous was being pushed around my plate without any of it reaching my mouth – my eyes were trained on the doorway. Every time a figure walked through my heart would leap, but Blaine was late. It wasn't even that big a deal – we weren't on a date or anything. But I was still nervous all the same.

"Earth to Kurt?" A hand waved in front of my face, kindly smacking me in the nose the second time and I flicked out my arm to hit Scott on the head without looking.

"Argh!" The aggravated shout made me smile and I turned to see him rubbing his temple with a sad look on his face.

"That's no way to treat your best friend!" Immediately I rolled my eyes.

"Will you shut up about this best friend thing? We've already clarified that you we-" Scott cleared his throat, looking pointedly across the room and my head flicked round to see Blaine heading towards us. When our eyes met smiles blossomed on our faces – it was hard not to do a cheesy slow-motion run, but I stood up in time for him to reach our table.

"Hi, boyfriend." He said with a smile.

"Hi." I stepped forward to hug him but was suddenly swept into a tight grasp and felt lips press against mine. Lips and teeth and…tongue? Surprised I pulled away – Blaine seemed to find my shocked expression amusing.

"_Blaine"_ I said in a hushed tone. "_We're in the middle of the cafeteria_." He laughed.

"I know. Aren't I allowed to show you off?" As he spoke he tightened his grip around my waist and moved on of his hands slightly lower. I bit my lip to stop myself from squealing.

"Yes, but perhaps not so…_passionately_. We're taking it slow remember?" Blaine's mouth pulled into a pout and I giggled, making him smile again.

"Ok, fine. But hi." He pressed another quick kiss to my lips and I let out an indignant noise, shaking my head as I sat down. Blaine pulled up a chair beside me and proceeded to drape his arm around my shoulders. Jeez, he was being affectionate today.

"Sooo," Scott began, obviously being privy to our little show "now that you guys have finished sucking each other's face off, I'd like to formally introduce myself." Holding out his hand towards Blaine I saw my boyfriend's gorgeous eyebrows furrow. "Scott Macleod – Kurt's best friend." Blaine paused, obviously expecting to hear something else other than what he already knew. When there was no continuation, Scott staring straight forward looking completely serious and expecting a handshake, his face turned to look at me.

"Don't ask." I replied incredulously. Blaine slowly held out his hand and had it shaken vigorously.

"How's your day been?" I asked, wanting to change the subject from my always-had-been best friend's stupidity.

"Ergh, boring. Mid term briefings already. I was looking forward to lunch mostly." Smiling, Blaine slid his fingers between mine and I heard Scott sigh loudly, causing me to flash him a 'shut up' look from across the table. "You?"

"Pretty much the same." It was nice to finally be able to tell the truth, to let Blaine know just how much I thought about him. Which was a lot.

"Artem doesn't look too good." At the mention of my old roommate's name all three of us turned to look at him. If I'd looked nervous – it was nothing compared to the expression on his face. He was practically green, the steak on his plate untouched and the bottom of his fork grinding holes into the wooden table.

"Yeah, he's been like that all morning. Gets really nervous." Stefan was trying valiantly to calm his European friend, holding up pieces of potato and muttering things like "carbohydrates, strength, winning…" It was all rather funny, but I didn't like to laugh.

"Artem?" Blaine tried to do his bit – at the sound of his name the Russian jerked his head in our direction, sheer panic in his eyes.

"Artem, are you ok?" Jeez Blaine, what a question to ask. "I spoke to some of the other Head Boys and it looks like the only real competition will be from Dahl. You'll be fine." The words of encouragement seemed not to register; Artem stared blankly at us for a couple of seconds before looking back down at his cold food and closing his eyes.

"At least you tried." I said comfortingly, rubbing my boyfriend on the shoulder. Hazel eyes looked up into mine and I found it hard not to kiss him again. Very hard.

"Yeah. Anyways, I need to get some food. You look like you haven't touched yours." Blaine leaned over to look at my plate and I blushed, embarrassed by my previous nerves. "Ergh," he continued, scrunching up his nose, "I can see why. _Couscous_." Immediately I flicked my head round to protest.

"Hey! I happen to like couscous a lot! It's a healthy snack! What do _you_ have for lunch?" Blaine looked at me like I was stupid.

"What every normal individual has – chips." Scott raised his hand in the air and they both hi-fived, testosterone zinging around the air for a split second.

"Amen to that brother."

"Dear Dior…" I muttered to myself, picking up my fork and scooping up a bit of food.

* * *

History passed by with no real events – everyone was getting ready for the tournament so little attention was paid to Roman architecture. (I handed in my paper with much gusto, still not believing I'd managed to finish it in one night.) I walked back to Wilde with Steven and Wade and carefully selected my house colours scarf from its place in my accessory draw (yes, I had one of those). It was fencing time.

* * *

The main hall was a buzz, rather like during the Christmas ball, except this time the voices were low and masculine, creating a drone that sounded rather like a swarm of bees. Blaine had told me he would meet me at the event, so I pushed through the crowds until I saw Scott, Stefan and Nathaniel standing over the far side of the room with the Wildeian competitors. When I reached them Nathaniel was in full flow, debriefing everyone in a very fast and technical manner.

"Now we know the strong points of Dahl's attack, and Wordsworth have a sharp defence mechanism, but we still need to watch out for the stabs from Darwin and the occasional upset." His face was flushed red and I gathered he must have been rushing around for hours. How he knew so much about fencing when he didn't even take part was beyond me.

"Hey." I said quietly to Scott, not wanting to interrupt the Head Boy's flow. He gave me a quick hug before turning his attention back to the speech again.

"What are you even doing over here anyway?" I whispered. "Surely you should be with Wordsworth?"

"Nah, can't be bothered. Plus I know it pisses them off." Pointing to the group of Wordsworth students crowding round the opposite side of the hall he grinned and I laughed back, giving him a light shove. Blaine was standing in the middle of the group giving a similar lecture to Nathaniel's, with Wes and David flanking him either side, equally serious expressions on their faces. This really was a big deal.

"What do we get if we win this again?" I asked.

"House points, that go towards the grand total. Most points gets the House Cup." I was about to question further when I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned round to see a familiar figure standing inches away from me.

"Hi." Gabriel had a strange look in his eyes (well, stranger than normal) – I didn't think my initial reaction of stepping back had helped, but the sheer closeness of his face and the surprise of seeing him had made me act instinctively. He looked...almost hopeful.

"Oh, hi Gabriel." I replied hurriedly. I could imagine the faces Scott would be pulling if we were visible to each other, but thankfully he was standing behind and could only sigh quietly.

"Did you have a nice Christmas?" I couldn't believe this was the first time we were talking, although Gabriel had for some reason only come back a day or two ago – some family commitment. His tone was happy and that unnerved me, especially with how we'd left things last term.

"Um, yeah, it was good. Sorry I didn't reply to any of your messages – my phone died." Oh Marc Jacobs, why was I bringing _that_ up? Even worse, why was I making it seem like I'd wanted to reply? Gabriel's expression brightened further and I cringed internally.

"Oh, that's ok. Are you excited about the tournament?"

"Yeah." Signalling to Artem, who still looked positively green but was being jockeyed up by Nathaniel and the rest of the fencers I nodded my head "Artem should be good."

"Yeah, he will be."

* * *

Suddenly a voice boomed out of the speaker system and everyone turned to see Mr Cox standing on the mini stage, releasing me from the awkward conversation.

"Students of Dalton, welcome to the first of our House tournament. As you know the winner of this meeting will receive maximum points for their house, which go towards the overall totals. The top five competitors will also represent the school in regional tournaments with other establishments. I hope you have all prepared sufficiently – I now ask all spectators to move to the viewing area and all competitors and their captains to take to the floor." Immediately the room exploded into a hive of noise. Nathaniel began hurriedly shepherding people around, which only seemed to panic Artem further. I shot him a good luck glance with my thumbs up and he smiled back weakly, before being pushed off into the centre of the hall. Scott, Gabriel and I made our way to the spectator area, which was situated behind makeshift barriers – annoyingly the latter followed us and stood next to me, his arm either accidentally or intentionally brushing against mine as we settled.

"This is it." Scott said prophetically. "Good luck Artem."

Now that all the competitors were lined up, it was clear to see the different houses. Apart from the obvious variation in house colours, the Darwin fencers all looked rather thin and weedy, probably more comfortable practicing equations than attack moves. Xavier seemed like a giant between them, his jet-black hair and muscular figure making him very menacing indeed. All the Dahl competitors were jumping around animatedly psyching themselves up, their Head Boy a wiry but strong looking brown haired boy, and Blaine and Nathaniel stood proudly with their eclectic mix of challengers. Instantly I felt a surge of pride coarse through me and gripped the barrier in excitement.

"Would the first fighters please take their positions." A figure from each house walked over to the fencing mats and slipped their helmets onto their heads. There was silence. And then the bouts began.

* * *

Anyone that said fencing was boring obviously hadn't watched a game themselves. The tension was amazing – the competitors dancing around each other like they were on springs and the moves lightening quick. With two separate bouts going on at the same time it was hard to work out where to look, but I settled on watching the Wilde competitor and cheering when he defeated his Darwinian opponent.

The next bout involved Artem – when he stepped up to the plate Scott, Stefan and I cheered loudly and I saw him briefly look towards us in the stands, before slipping on his helmet and crouching into position. The buzzer sounded and immediately he lunged forward – his power and skill taking the Wordsworth boy he was facing completely by surprise.

"Point to Wilde!" The referee said defiantly. Everyone cheered.

'_Go Artem_." Scott muttered, obviously impressed. The rest of the bout was much the same – Artem was good, _really_ good, and he breezed through the challenge without even conceding a point. When he took off his helmet we all waved at him and he smiled, obviously pleased with his achievement, before moving to sit on the bench that would have him sorted into the next round.

"Hey, who's that?" I tried to stop my eyes from rolling as Gabriel spoke again, but when I followed the direction of his arm felt them widen instead. The next match had started and a Darwin competitor was being absolutely annihilated by somebody from Dahl. His strokes were so fast you could barely see them, even quicker than Artem's, and he sprung around so fast it made me dizzy.

"My Gaga, who _is_ that?" I turned to look at Scott, but heard him groan before our eyes met.

"_Ergh_. That my friends, is _Damien Dubrisque_." The way he said his name already had me questioning – somebody even more mysterious and intriguing than the person standing next to me.

"_Damien_?" Said person replied incredulously, Scott nodded and his eyes widened like mine.

"Ok, should I know who this guy is?" I asked, not wanting to be out of the loop anymore.

"Damien is the king joker of Dahl. His parents were gypsies but they started their own circus and now they're millionaires. Even Hunter can't control him." He motioned to the Dahl Head Boy, who was standing by the side of the bout watching with fascination. I moved my eyes back to Damien and marvelled and the ferocity of his moves. When the bout finally ended the poor Darwinian collapsed to the floor in exhaustion – as people rushed to assist him Damien took off his helmet and I saw wild green eyes set into his olive skin and sharp angular face. He flicked his dark brown hair and danced around the mat like some kind of celebrating animal. It was unnerving to say the least.

"Woah. I hope Artem doesn't have to face him." I said worriedly. Scott nodded.

"Me too."

* * *

The rest of the tournament progressed swiftly – both Artem and Damien whizzed through the first few rounds, but they were never drawn against each other. As the final approached I realised they would be competing for the title, and maximum points for their house.

* * *

As the final was announced, excited chatter descended over the hall. Nathaniel had taken Artem aside and was giving him another rousing team talk – I could see Hunter over the other side trying to do the same, although it didn't look like Damien was listening. I couldn't get those piercing eyes out of my head – they were just _wild_.

"Hey." Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to see Blaine smiling at me, obviously managing to escape from his Head Boy duties now that none of his competitors were left.

"Hi," I replied, returning the smile. He leaned forward to kiss me and I obliged, but making it a short one so I could return to looking at the action.

"Yo," Scott said, his gaze not even averting at all, but Blaine didn't seem to mind.

"Oh hi Gabriel – you're back." It was then I noticed the reaction of the Wildeian beside me. Gabriel's face had gone absolutely white – I flicked my head round and stared at him worriedly.

"Gabriel? Are you alright?" He didn't respond. I saw his eyes briefly flick towards Blaine, who had now slipped his arm around my waist, then back to me, and understood.

"Sorry you didn't win." I said, returning my attention to my boyfriend. I wanted to make it clear to Gabriel, but without sticking the knife in too much.

"Oh, don't worry – we didn't come last. Artem's gonna have a tough bout against Damien though." As if on cue, suddenly the two finalists took to the floor and everybody cheered, before silence descended over the room.

"Competitors, take your positions."


	26. Cordial

_Hey again - I am going to try and stop putting author notes at the start of each chapter but there is just one more thing that I need to address._

_I've received a couple of reviews commenting on the fact that I use quite a bit of English slang in this story, and that sometimes it is hard to understand._

_I do sympathise with this to a degree, but I'm afraid there is not much I can really do about it. I am English, so obviously I will write like an English person. I try really hard to put as many American phrases in as possible, but sometimes I don't even realise that a word is said only in England or means something different etc._

_If you don't understand something then please feel freee to drop me a message and I will be happy to explain it for you._

_I hope that cleared everything up - I am proud to be a British Gleek!_

_(P.S. If you guess the double meaning of this chapter title you win a prize)_

* * *

**Chapter 26 - Cordial**

Nobody spoke. You could have heard a pin drop from the other side of the grounds. Artem and Damien pulled their helmets down over their heads and crouched into position.

"FIGHT!" Everyone lurched forward, willing the battle to start. Neither fencer moved.

"Er, what's going on?" Scott whispered. It was like they were frozen – not even their sabres were moving, even though they were probably ridiculously nervous. Then I realised.

"They're psyching each other out…" Artem and Damien continued to stare forward, waiting for the other to make the first move. As everyone else cottoned on to their tactic the tension rose until we were practically begging them to move, _praying_ for some action. Then, all of a sudden, it started.

* * *

Sabres were flying everywhere – the first moves happened so fast that I subconsciously gripped onto Blaine's arm that was around me and yanked him forward into my back. Damien had been the first to crack – his stroke was wild and took Artem slightly by surprise. He leaped out of the way and managed to avoid the jab, swiping his own blade so it skimmed just over the top of his opponent's head. Damien tried again and this time Artem lost balance as he dodged, giving an easy target for a blow to the chest.

"First point to Dahl." The Dahl spectators across the other side of the hall erupted into cheers and Damien lifted his sabre in the air in celebration.

"Come on Artem…" I whispered under my breath, "Come on…"

The second point began as ferociously as the first, but now Artem seemed fired up and attacked viciously. I saw Damien begin to falter and finally, after a superb spinning turn, Artem caught him on the shoulder.

"Second point to Wilde." Now it was our turn to cheer – Scott pumped his fist in the air and I jumped up and down excitedly.

"This is it." Blaine whispered into my ear, "In the final they only play three points. Whoever gets this is the winner." I swallowed loudly, looking back at Artem, who was now being given a ferocious final talk by Nathaniel. I'd never seen either of them look so fired up before – it was fascinating.

"Come on Artem!" Scott shouted out, not caring that he was neither a Wilde or probably supposed to be talking at this point. A couple of the other Wilde students joined in and suddenly the whole room was alive with noise, cheers of Artem or Damien ringing out in chorus.

"Quiet down, quiet down." Mr Cox said on the loudspeaker, eventually the noise died down and the two fencers took to the stage again.

"Positions please." They both crouched down again and I slipped my hands together, offering a silent prayer to anyone that might be up there.

"FIGHT!"

Flash, flash, swipe – now I couldn't actually see the blades they were moving so fast. Artem and Damien danced backwards and forwards along the matt, twisting, turning, jumping, ducking. My heart was pounding in my chest, my hand gripping onto Blaine like I never had before and my lips mumbling prayers under my breath. Come on come on come-

"Aaaaah!" Suddenly Artem tripped on something, he tumbled head first towards the ground and Damien seized his opportunity – a strong stab to the shoulder was issued and the buzzer sounded.

"Third point to Dahl – Dahl wins." The hall erupted with cheers, the Dahl supporters leaping out of their places and running onto the stage. Artem seemed completely dazed, still feeling the brunt of his fall, and suddenly he was swamped by fans wanting to greet their champion. Damien ripped off his helmet and threw it into the air, his eyes flashing wildly and his mouth open in a gleeful laugh that revealed shiny pointy teeth.

* * *

"Oh Gaga." I said, immediately letting go of Blaine and ducking under the barrier to make my way over to my friend. Stefan was right beside me and we pushed through the crowd to reach him. Artem had barely taken his helmet off, but when he did his face looked confused and forlorn.

"Oh, Artem." Without thinking I crouched down and flung my arms around him, taking him by surprise but not really caring.

"Tough break." Stefan said, rubbing his roommates shoulder comfortingly.

"You tripped, so it wasn't a fault of your technique," Blaine added, having caught up with us, "you fought brilliantly, you should be proud."

"I bet Dubrisque tripped you." Scott said angrily, his fists balling up, "I bet he did it on purpose the lousy little cheat-"

"-Scott." A hand came out to stop him from moving towards the crowd. "Don't get involved. We don't want to be sore losers."

"I bet he did…" He grumbled, but didn't stir any further. Blaine took his hand away and looked down at me and Artem again.

"You came second too. That's nearly maximum points." Glancing back at the Russian I saw his expression had lifted slightly.

"I think Babolya will be very pleased." I said softly, rubbing his shoulder. His eyes flicked towards me and finally he smiled, the warm smile that I was so used to.

"Yes, she will. And Ashley."

"Oh yeah, Ashley will_ love _it. You are going to get so much boom-tang for this." Apparently over his anger when there was a chance to make an inappropriate joke, Scott grinned and everyone shot him a 'seriously' look, me going the extra step by kicking him in the ankle.

"Hey." Suddenly another voice sounded in our direction, we all looked up to see Hunter, the Dahl Head Boy, walking towards us.

"That was a great fight. Commiserations." He held out his hand to Artem and the Russian shook it firmly, his expression showing there was no hard feelings. Glancing over to Damien, who was currently being hoisted in the air by his housemates I saw him laughing again and wondered how I'd never noticed him around Dalton before. He was kind of hard to miss.

"Yo, Hunter, whatcha doing over here? Get back to the party!" Suddenly two more boys joined our group. Both quite tall with angular features but thin lines of muscle along their arms they slapped their Head Boy on the shoulder before turning to look at us.

"Oh, sorry." One of them said, before they both sniggered. The boy on the right, who had blonde hair cut into a type of bob, seemed to see something and stopped.

"_Scott Macleod_." I turned to my best friend and saw him eyeing the two Dahl students with utter hatred.

"What are you doing on the Wilde side?" The other boy, who had dark skin and a shaven head, spoke in a mocking tone. "Did you need somebody else to support cause your house didn't make it to the final? Looks like you went for the wrong team."

"Shut it Phoenix." Scott's voice was icy, he took a step forward and the Dahl boys laughed, before Hunter darted out a hand between them.

"_Phoenix, Oscar_. Leave it." He spoke with authority, shooting the two students glares and eventually they backed off, still muttering to themselves. Scott had been pulled back by Blaine and Stefan and seemed to be saying the same things.

"Sorry guys, we will leave you to it now." Hunter said apologetically, shooting one more glance at Artem, who nodded in thanks, before being pulled off back into the melee.

"What jerks." I mumbled once they were a safe distance away. Blaine sighed in agreement and I looked back at Scott, who seemed to have calmed down, but was still pretty upset.

"Anyone want to come to mine for a celebration party?" Suddenly Nathaniel appeared, his timing almost perfect and his offer appealing. "After all, we did just come second in the fencing tournament."

"Sounds great." Blaine answered, pulling Scott properly upright and signalling for everyone else to follow.

* * *

"So, you want to tell me what that was all about?" Sitting on the sofa of Nathaniel's equally huge Head Boy room I shot Scott a questioning look. He had been trying to avoid me the whole way to Wilde.

"Nothing…"

"Nothing? Nothing is a word used to describe how much effort you put into the last Spanish assignment we had. _That_ was _not nothing_." He sighed and for once I knew I was the right one.

"I just have this…thing with those guys."

"A thing? You know Dalton doesn't tolerate bullying."

"Oh no!" Scott quickly backtracked. "It's nothing like that at all. It's just…"

"_Go on…" _I was beginning to get impatient.

"You're going to think it's silly."

"_Try me_." He sighed.

"Pranks."

"What?"

"Pranks. We play pranks on each other." I didn't understand. "You remember all the way at the start of term when I told you about the boys that played pranks on me at football practice?" I thought for a second, then nodded. "Well they were those boys. We kind of have prank battles every so often, the Dahl boys against me and a couple of others. I lost the last one after they sent a text message from my phone to Conners saying exactly what I thought about him" Oh! So _that_ was why Conners hated Scott so much! That, and the fact he never turned up to his lessons on time. "and they've not let it go since."

"Oh." I wasn't quite sure how to respond – especially when I'd been expecting to hear about some traumatic past or a group of McKinley-esque bullies. Although I suppose in Scott's life a prank war was a pretty big thing.

"See, I knew you'd think it was stupid." He looked down at the floor in embarrassment but I grabbed his arm so he glanced back up again.

"No, I don't think it's stupid at all. I'm just glad it's _only_ a prank war and nothing more serious."

"Oh." Now it was Scott's turn to give the surprised reply. "You know if anything serious did happen to me then I'd tell you."

"I know." I gave his arm a comforting pat before we both smiled and Blaine returned with drinks.

"Here you go." Handing me my lime cordial I took it gratefully and kissed him lightly on the cheek, something that made him blush in the most adorable way. Scott was given his coke and glugged most of it down in one go, making my eyes widen as I sipped.

"How does Nathaniel have so much drink?" I asked, glancing around the room, which was full of people chatting away.

"He's friendly with the kitchen staff." Blaine replied nonchalantly.

"I suppose that figures." He had been able to rustle up those apology cookie ingredients last term surprisingly quickly.

"Here's to Artem." My boyfriend raised his glass and everyone followed suit, toasting the Russian so he blushed violently before his phone suddenly began to ring.

"That'll be Ashley I bet." Scott commented. "What did I tell you? _Boom-tang_."

* * *

As Artem rushed off to answer the call with a face even redder than before I noticed a Wildeian not enjoying the party as much as we were. Gabriel was standing in the corner of the room, his small figure often obscured by the door as people went in and out. He had no drink so his only occupation was staring intently at Blaine, who seemed completely oblivious of the attention on him.

"Hey! Gabriel! What's up bro?" Scott, also completely oblivious, called out to the junior, making him jump out of his skin. When he looked up his eyes immediately flashed to me, and when he saw I was staring back, his face flushed violently and he switched back to the floor.

"Dude, _seriously_, this is a party!" I was about to tell Scott to shut it when Gabriel suddenly marched briskly across the room towards us.

"Kurt, can I talk to you alone please." He said defiantly, stopping right in front of me so I had no chance to ignore. Briefly my eyes flashed to Blaine, who shrugged his shoulders seeming to have no problem – I didn't bother to look at Scott who I knew would be flashing warning signs and stood up to follow my ex-date back to his corner.

* * *

"Are you and Blaine dating?" It was blunt, but at least he didn't mess around. The protective edge to Gabriel's tone made me nervous but I didn't bother to comment on it.

"Yes. We are. In fact…" I paused to count on my fingers, "…this is our third public appearance together as a couple." I looked back at Wildeian and saw his expression was livid.

"And _when_ were you thinking about telling me this?" I laughed.

"Gabriel – you haven't even _been _here. I didn't tell Scott, he just figured it out. And anyway what does it matter to you?"

"It matters because…" He trailed off and I sighed, knowing what he'd been about to say.

"I _told_ you I was in love with Blaine – you can hardly be surprised."

"But he said all those things to you, he used you!"

"That was all a big misunderstanding. Blaine apologised and we sorted it all out."

"How can you believe anything he says!" Gabriel raised his voice and a couple of Wildeians turned to look in our direction.

"_Listen,_" I hissed, turning us away so nobody could hear what I was saying, "if you are giving me relationship advice as a _friend_, which is what we _decided we were_, then that's fine. If you are giving it to me because you are _jealous_ and have some _petty vendetta_ against Blaine, then I'm advising you now to stop." I stared fiercely into Gabriel's eyes, trying to make it as clear as possible that I was completely serious. For a second he looked like he wanted to fight, before eventually his shoulders slumped and he backed away.

"Ok, sorry."

"Thank you. Now are we done here?" Slowly the mousy haired boy nodded his head and I walked away with a flourish, shaking my head in disbelief.

"What the hell was that all about?" I rolled my eyes at Scott, flopping down onto the sofa and into Blaine's warm embrace.

"Are you ok?" My boyfriend asked, a more caring question than the first.

"Yeah." I replied, nuzzling my forehead into the crook of his neck. "Just Gabriel not knowing when to mind his own business." I closed my eyes, breathing in the musky scent of the Wordsworth Head Boy and no more was said on the matter.


	27. Pyjamas

**Chapter 27 - Pyjamas**

The next Warbler practice was a noisy one.

Everyone was still talking about the fencing tournament, and the huge party that had gone on at Dahl afterwards. Most of those students had arrived with massive hangovers, so it was probably a good job we didn't have any adult leaders.

"Order please, order." Wes called out, banging his little hammer on the table. Xavier, sitting in his usual spot in the centre of all the elected heads, had a face like thunder, obviously still humiliated about his house's last place finish. When the noise level gradually died down Wes continued.

"First order of service – congratulations to Dahl on their win yesterday." More cheers erupted from the mentioned students and Xavier shot what could only be described as a deathly look at the Wordsworthian.

"Sportsmanship remember? We want the best students representing Dalton after all." I smirked and Blaine shook his head, obviously not understanding my reticence towards the Darwin Head Boy.

"Second order of service – Regional songs." At this more chatter started up. Everyone had been wondering when we'd start the build-up towards it, and now we had our answer.

"Obviously we had a good song selection last time," I squeezed Blaine's hand and he smiled at me, "but for Regionals we need two songs, and the competition steps up a notch. Does anyone have any ideas?" Several hands shot into the air, including mine. Blaine shot me a concerned look but I ignored him.

"Akash?" Richard asked, taking over the speaking duties as Wes got ready to write things down.

"I suggest we do a modern classic. What about 'Summer of '69'?" Murmurs of approval rang out.

"Interesting. Earl?"

"An upbeat song is good, but I think we need a powerful solo to go with it. Something like 'With or Without You'." This also received positive murmurs. I stuck my hand up higher in the air, feeling like the kid in class that knew the answer but wasn't being looked at.

"Ah, Kurt." Richard smiled, obviously remembering the last time I'd suggested a song, and everyone turned to look at me, the room falling silent with interest.

"You guys are all making great suggestions," I began, not wanting to seem too arrogant, "but if we want to do well at Regionals we _have_ to do a girls song." A single laugh rang out. Flicking my eyes to see its source, my heart sank. Xavier.

"_Kurt._" He began, his expression suddenly more pleased now that he had someone to bring down again. "When are you going to realise that we are not your old Glee club?"

"I am fully aware that The Warblers and New Directions are two completely separate entities. But if we refuse to acknowledge their strengths and song choices we will be fighting a losing battle."

"Oh really-"

"-What song do you suggest Kurt?" With Richard interrupting tactically I sat up straight, wanting to make a big deal of my announcement.

"Raise Your Glass." Again Xavier laughed.

"What? You can hardly deny that it's a good song." I defended, looking around to see what everyone else's reaction was. They seemed more interested in the confrontation than the actual song suggestion.

"It's _Pink_."

"Who is about the most macho girl you are going to get in terms of song style. Nobody will be able to say we are nancys, and the lyrics are about underdogs, misfits – which right now we are."

"The Warblers are _not_ misfits." Xavier countered. "We are a whole unit, together as one."

"And that's what _makes_ us misfits. Whoever heard of a group of teenage boys singing acappella past 1920?" Titters erupted around the room, but were quickly extinguished when Xavier shot out another deadly look.

"If we _embrace_ this fact – then we have a much better chance of standing up to New Directions, who I can assure you, will have misfit songs coming out their ears."

"Kurt, once again I thank you for your _individual_ opinion on song matters, but I am afraid we are going to have to-"

"-I agree with Kurt." The Darwin Head Boy stopped dead in his tracks. Blaine had stood up, and part of me wanted to tug him down, completely embarrassed. Half of me was completely intrigued in what he had to say.

"The Warblers have always been known for their unique style and synchronicity. But we're _safe._ We pick the songs we know we can do, and do them well. But we've never been _different._ We've never taken a chance."

"And you think singing a _girls_ song will help us do this?"

"Yes." My boyfriend looked hard into the eyes of my nemesis, his expression confident and beautiful. "As Kurt said – it's the lyrics of the song that are important, not who sings it. I think we should do it." Suddenly everyone turned to look at Richard, who had somehow become the leader of the discussion. He in turn looked at Wes, who shrugged his shoulders, glad to have a break from frantically scribbling down our debate.

"I suppose we should put it to a vote…" Richard mumbled, glancing down at the desk nervously. "All those in favour of doing 'Raise Your Glass' raise you hand…" I held my breath. Blaine's hand shot immediately into the air, as did Steven and David's, making me smile. That still wasn't enough though. Glancing around the room, I saw the terrifying glare of Xavier daring anybody to stand against him. I began to sink back into my chair in defeat, when suddenly hands slowly began to rise. First a couple more Wilde students, then some Wordsworthians. Everett Gelding, a Dahl student from my History class, gave me a impressed look, before raising his hand above his head. Soon pretty much every Warbler in the room was unable to play piano. Or lift a heavy box. Anything that involved the use of two hands.

"Well that looks like it's settled then." Richard said, after surveying the crowd and declaring that yes, there were more hands raised than not (some Darwinians were being commendably loyal) "We perform Raise Your Glass at Regionals." A few cheers rang out and I received several claps on the back, making me laugh nervously. Xavier took one look at me, a long, hard, menacing look – and walked out of the room.

* * *

We voted for Earl's suggestion of 'With Or Without You' as our opening ballad for the show – auditions were on Wednesday but it looked strongly like Steven was going to claim the prize. Blaine was going for 'Raise Your Glass' and I had a feeling he would get that too. When practice was disbanded I immediately went to speak to my boyfriend about his heroic display against Xavier, so was surprised when he pressed a finger to my lips and smiled mischievously.

"My place, half an hour, Harry Potter?" I was briefly unable to respond, taken aback by the sheer delight that ran through me and the intense desire to jump him right then and there.

"Um, yeah?" I managed to mumble a few seconds later.

"Great. See you then." Smiling again Blaine turned and walked away without another word. Holy hell.

"Someone's going to have fun tonight." David said with a smirk. I slapped him on the shoulder but then rushed off towards Wilde so I could get changed.

* * *

When Blaine opened the door I couldn't be bothered to wait for pleasantries, kissing him right there and then. What I wasn't expecting was the huge exasperated groan that came from his lips, causing me to break away.

"What on earth?" He was dressed in sweatpants and a loose fitting t-shirt – something he only ever wore when all his other clothes were in the wash. (I knew this from extensively tracking his outfit choices back when infactuation was the only way forward. I had also taken a sneaky look in his closet several times when he'd been in the bathroom.) But the expression on his face was anything but casual. He looked almost pained.

"Oh God _Kurt_." Blaine said, the strain in his voice making me wonder if I'd done something wrong.

"What Blaine, what?"

"You're wearing those pyjamas." I looked down at my attire. Yes – I was wearing pyjamas – the same ones (if I remembered correctly) from the last time we'd had a Harry Potter movie night. I thought that was the correct clothing for such occasions.

"Yes…" I replied, confusion and worry gracing my tone, "don't you like them?"

"Oh _God_." Suddenly Blaine gripped hold of my hips, yanking me in so our pelvises crashed together and I let out a little surprised yelp. "Like does not even _begin_ to describe how I feel about those pyjamas. And you _in_ those pyjamas." He looked me straight in the eye and suddenly I understood the expression. Lust.

"You don't even _know_ what you do to me." As a smile spread across my face I moved my arms to twine round my boyfriend's neck and my lips to his ear, bringing us in even closer so I had to control my breathing for my big comeback.

"_Show me_."

* * *

There was no more need for talking. Wrenching my head back to his, Blaine smashed our lips together and immediately let out another loud groan, forcing me to push us forward and close the door behind us so nobody else would hear our little show. Staggering towards the sofa we crashed against it and I briefly gasped for air as the contact made our lips part. Blaine still had his hands on my hips and was practically grinding me against him – the friction making every inch of my skin tingle and my heartbeat escalate.

"Kurt_, Kurt_…" He said over and over again, moving to cup my ass so I yelped again and dug my fingers deeper into his hair.

"Holy God…" We continued like that for a couple of minutes, our cries gradually getting quieter and more breathless as we ran out of stamina. When we eventually broke apart Blaine's legs gave way and we both toppled back over the arm of the sofa, onto the soft cushions.

"Sweet Jesus…" The Wordsworthian said, looking up at the ceiling and panting loudly.

"I have _got_ to stop speaking religiously." I replied, my voice equally as breathless but still annoyed. Blaine looked back down at me.

"Why?"

"Because I don't believe in God. And I keep slipping up during moments like this." I motioned to our entwined bodies and he laughed, bringing my hand up to his mouth and kissing it.

"Well real or not that was probably the best make-out session God has ever been able to watch." He grinned, a single drop of sweat sliding down the side of his face and I scrunched up my nose.

"He was watching? What a perve."

"Shut up and kiss me." Somehow finding more strength instantly I pressed my lips back onto his and once again we groaned. I really hoped the walls were thick at Dalton, or else Blaine's neighbour was going to think we were watching porn. Or even worse – start selling seats for people to listen.

* * *

I was beginning to get back into the swing of things, my hands running up and down Blaine's sides so his shirt was rumpled and creased when he suddenly sat up, making me whimper in annoyance.

"Heyyyyy." I said, sounding like a whiny teenage girl, but not really caring. Blaine smiled at my reaction and I was surprised when he didn't relent.

"You know…" He said, running a finger across my collarbone, "…seeing as you're in pyjamas, I should probably be in them too." I was pushed up to a sitting position – for a second I wondered whether to fight back, but was intrigued to see where this was going so stayed put. Blaine got to his feet and walked over to his bed – the sight of which already had me going. He picked up a pair of pyjamas that were lying on top of the covers, turned to look at me coyly, and then proceeded to take his shirt off.

**Oh GOD.**

Another whimper escaped from my throat, this one very loud and rather embarrassing. I went to get off the sofa but Blaine held out his hand, signalling for me to stay put. I whimpered again, feeling my cheeks beginning to get very hot and he grinned. Then the sweatpants came off.

"_Jesus Christ Blaine_." Right now I didn't care what I was saying, I could barely speak at all, my eyes glued to that perfect body that was clothed only in boxer shorts, standing there, only feet away.

"What? I'm only getting changed." He replied, a devilish glint in his eye. Oh Gaga I wanted to throttle him. Throttle him and kiss him and…Jeez, my mind was filth right now.

"Hey!" I'd tried to get up again – the sheer torment of having to sit there watching this without doing anything about it driving me insane, but once again I was forced back down by the invisible drive of my boyfriend's hand and scolding look. "Naughty Kurt." Now that was just _too far_.

"Blaine Anderson – if you do not get over here _RIGHT NOW_ I am gonna…" I couldn't finish the sentence, but I was now crouched on the sofa, ready to spring as soon as he got close enough. I watched him laugh, the muscles on his shoulders and chest rippling as he did so, before he slipped on a blue tank top and some shorts. I was almost sad to see him clothed again, but knew he would now have to come over so welcomed the action. Blaine pretended to look for something on the bed, making me growl and him laugh that glorious laugh again, before _finally_ he made his way back.

* * *

I didn't even give him time to say anything, grabbing hold of his neck and jerking him down violently so he fell on top of me and pushed us both into the cushions. Wrapping my legs round his torso I wedged my fingers in his hair and felt him exhale loudly into my mouth, the ferocity of the action obviously taking him by surprise. We kissed deeply – deeper than we ever had before, deeper than I'd ever imagined we could. Blaine's hands snaked under my shirt and I bucked up towards him, removing my hands from his head so I could do the same to his chest. Oh God feeling it was even better than looking. His skin was so smooth, so hot…

"You know," I said, moving to kiss him down his neck, the feeling of which caused Blaine to let out another deep groan, moving his hands up and down faster, "we could have been doing this _so_ much earlier if you'd let me kiss you the first time." Suddenly he stopped. I wondered if this was the beginning of another tease, so pretended to be upset, but then saw his expression.

"Kurt." I instantly felt bad, reaching my hand up to softly caress Blaine's cheek. He removed his hand from under my shirt but still kept our foreheads touching.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's ok. You know I wanted to."

"Well, I do _now_." Rolling off me onto his side the Head Boy looked up at the ceiling, the look on his face darker and brooding.

"I didn't really know what I was doing that day. You showed up all dressed like this and I wanted you so bad – but I knew it would be unfair to expect you to feel the same way-" Without being able to stop myself a snort escaped from my nose – I immediately slapped my hand across my face but luckily Blaine smiled faintly, understanding. "When you made the move it was such a shock I got scared, and I did the complete opposite of what I wanted to do." Nuzzling my nose into the side of his neck I breathed softly and evenly, feeling the steady heartbeat that echoed in my ears.

"You know, if you had managed to get your lips on mine – I don't think I would have been able to stop myself." Blaine turned his head so our eyes looked into each others – the hazel pools sending me off into another world – a world of dreams and happiness.

"Well it worked out eventually." I said with a smile. "In a funny kind of way Gabriel actually helped." That got a laugh.

"Jeez. _Gabriel_." Still chuckling I pressed a soft kiss to his lips and felt him relax, his body falling forward into mine and his arms wrapping protectively around me.

"I also, forgot to say," I continued, now that the conversation had veered off the serious and we were back to kissing various parts of each other's upper torso, "that what you did for me at Warbler practice today was amazing." Blaine smiled, running his tongue across my jaw so I gasped softly.

"You deserved it. You were right."

"I know. Well, I _think_ I know. But you still didn't have to stand against Xavier for me."

"I didn't do it for your stupid little feud," he added, somehow managing to sound scolding even when teasing my ear with his teeth, "but I _did_ do it for you."

"Well thank you." I kissed the top of each of his eyebrows and slowly began to make my way down his face. "You know I actually found it pretty hot."

"Really?" Now Blaine was teasing, stroking my hair back behind my ears and I lightly pecked his nose.

"Yeah, I was seriously turned on."

"Well isn't that interesting." Finally I reached his mouth – we kissed deeply again and I never wanted it to end. For all the ferocity and sexually charged clinches we'd had – this was still the kind of kiss I preferred best.

"Oh, Gaga." I suddenly said, pulling sharply away. Now it was Blaine's turn to look put out.

"What's wrong?"

"We're supposed to be watching Harry Potter. You haven't even put the DVD in yet." My eyes flicked towards the TV, which surprisingly didn't seem to have any DVD's anywhere near it. Blaine followed my gaze too and his mouth stretched into an awkward grimace.

"Oh…" He began, looking at me with the same expression. "You _actually_ thought we wanted to watch…? _Oh_. This is awkward…" For a second I was genuinely concerned, before Blaine grinned and I slapped him playfully on the shoulder.

"Shut up you." Then we finished talking for a while.


	28. Football

**Chapter 28 - Football**

Take back all the times I'd ever seen Scott eat. This was by _FAR_ the fastest he'd _ever_ devoured a sandwich. Wes and David were sitting open-mouthed – not quite able to believe what they were witnessing.

"Is he even breathing?" David asked, turning to his best friend.

"I have _no idea_." The senior common room was fairly quiet – lucky for us, and lucky for Scott, as it meant the table of crustless sandwiches had been barely touched. Now, however, it was only half full.

"Is he building on carbs or something? For the game?" Wes asked, still not able to tear his eyes away.

"No. That's just Scott." I laughed, turning to Blaine, who had an equally amused expression on his perfectly formed face. "Sorry – I knew I shouldn't have brought him here."

"Hey, as long as you're here, I don't care _who_ you bring." Tightening his grip around my waist my boyfriend found my lips with his and kissed me softly, lengthening the contact so I melted into the sofa.

"Get a room dudes." Suddenly another voice entered the conversation. My eyes flicked in its direction and widened.

"Oh! So you have time to stop and berate us but not time to _breathe_?" Scott smiled, his mouth still half full.

"I do when there's a danger that someone's face is going to get sucked off." I shot him a glare before leaning back into Blaine's chest. He chuckled; the vibrations making me tingle, and began to run his fingers absentmindedly through my hair.

"It's true though," Wes suddenly began, leaning back into his seat too, "all you guys seem to do now is mack. And with what we heard last night…" I sat bolt upright.

"_You guys HEARD us?"_ Wes and David's room was at least 3 doors down the corridor – if _they'd_ heard us then…

"Nope. But now we know something _definitely_ went down." Grinning, the two Wordsworth seniors gave each other a hi-five – Scott murmured loudly in appreciation and I scowled, my face turning bright red.

"Dammit."

"_Guys_." Blaine said, a condescending tone in his voice, but still with the lightness that showed he was joking. "Your love lives must be seriously deprived if this is what you spend your days doing."

"Well, incase you didn't notice – there are no girls hanging around Dalton" David said, an almost sad look on his face as he pondered the thought.

"Carmen is still mad at me for something…" Wes added.

"And my girlfriend is a two hour drive away…" The three boys started off into space, the corners of their mouths turned down with depression and I couldn't help it. I laughed.

"Oh dear. You really are losers." All of them shot me glares, before we smiled and I snuggled further into Blaine. "This is why I like boys." He chuckled again. Jeez every time that got me going.

"This is why I like Kurt." Another groan emanated from our observers but I didn't care, reaching my hand behind Blaine's neck to pull him down and let my tongue do some work.

* * *

Although it didn't seem like it – Scott was playing football tonight. Far from Artem's constant panic attacks and inability to eat more than a mouthful, my best friend was completely normal – overly normal in fact. After demolishing most of the senior common room sandwiches he then moved on to cookies in the cafeteria (which I was forced to stop by with him on the way to Spanish) and a ginormous glass of milk that I probably could have done a couple of lengths in. I presumed this was his normal pre-match warm up, but hoped it would all digest by the evening, or we might witness a display other than the football.

Obviously a few hours before the game everyone went off to prepare, so I was left to my own devices. I wrote a bit more of the history paper that was due next week and spent the rest of the time putting on as many layers as I could before Artem, Stefan and I made our way to the field.

* * *

"IT'S FREEZING!" I moaned, my teeth chattering as I spoke. It wasn't even five o'clock, but the cold air was whipping against my face as I clutched my coat closer against me. Summer could hurry up and arrive, because this weather sucked.

"I know – why does football have to be a winter sport?" Wes looked almost as cold as I did – his scarf wrapped around his face like a balaclava and his voice muffled from underneath it. I turned to look at Artem and Stefan and laughed. They barely even had coats on.

"Is the weather like this all the time in Europe?" Artem looked at me and smiled.

"In Russia, this is like summer." I shivered to even think about it.

As there weren't enough players to have each individual house compete against each other, the football tournament would have the W houses playing against the D's. This already increased the rivalry, but also meant I could stand with the rest of the Wordsworthians and support Scott without feeling guilty. Not that I would have minded either way.

"There they are." David pointed to the two teams running out onto the pitch. My eyes immediately searched the group for Scott, but he wasn't hard to pick out – darting about like he was on fire, jumping high in air every so often. I dreaded to think what he must have been like as a child.

"Scott looks crazy." Artem said, having also picked out the junior.

"When does he not?" Wes and David added simultaneously, bumping fists. Behind the hyped up athletes Blaine and Nathaniel walked calmly together, both discussing tactics with each other. Xavier and Hunter seemed to be doing them same, but with his huge muscly frame the Darwin Head Boy looked very much like one of the players.

"I'm nervous." The words had escaped from my mouth before I even realised. Stefan turned to look at me, his expression blank but his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why?"

"I don't know." I replied, confusion gracing my tone. "I just feel like something's going to happen." Scanning my eyes across the pitch I suddenly caught sight of two figures on the D team sprinting up and down the field. We hadn't seen any more of Oscar and Phoenix since our encounter at the fencing, but Scott had told me he sensed something was brewing. I only hoped whatever it was wouldn't affect the game.

* * *

"Hey." I'd been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed anyone come up beside me – the sound of a voice so close made me lurch backwards so I almost knocked the cocoa out of David's hand.

"Sorry." Looking back at the person who had startled me, my heart sank.

"Gabriel." It seemed my friendly warning hadn't been enough. Here he was again – albeit with slightly more layers on, but still that same hopeful look on his face.

"Wait!" I'd been about to cause a scene, shout something and then storm off, when the mousy haired boy jerked out his hand. "I'm not here to make trouble." I laughed, pulling my hand away from his, but the look in his eyes was sincere.

"You'd better not." Mumbled from my lips. Gabriel's expression wavered slightly but he continued strongly.

"I want to apologise. I should have seen you and Blaine coming – it was just a bit of a shock, that's all. I hope we can still be friends." Glancing over at David for some support he shrugged his shoulders – Wes was no use either. Did I want to be friends? I suppose that was what I had intended originally. And Gabriel was actually quite a nice person. A long sigh escaped from my lips.

"Ok." Grey eyes brightened but Gabriel made sure to keep his reaction small. At least he was learning.

"Is Blaine with the team?"

"Yup." Looking back down I was filled with sadness again. That was one of the things I hated about his Head Boy duties – he never got to stand with everyone like a normal student. Which was all the more annoying when I was cold and wanted a human blanket.

"Hey, I think it's starting." Artem said, pointing to the teams who were assembling on the pitch. We all sat down in our seats and I tried to focus on the players and Blaine sitting pitch side, not the person sitting next to me.

* * *

I have to admit – I'd never found football that appealing. You'd think with all the muscly testosterone filled men crashing into each other it would be some kind of gay haven. But to be honest I found it all rather childish and pointless. That didn't mean to say however, that I wasn't swept up by the hysteria of this game. It was hard to avoid – the intense rivalry between the W's and the D's coming to my attention properly for the first time. Winning was everything, and it didn't seem to matter how you did it. The first five minutes and someone was already down, immediately I strained my eyes but it wasn't Scott, although he seemed to be doing a fine job a riling some of the D players to the point of oblivion. Maybe that was why he was such an asset to the team – that and the fact he could run into almost anything without even batting an eyelid. Twenty minutes in and the first touchdown was scored. The W stand erupted and I was so caught up in the celebrations that I grabbed hold of Gabriel's arm, jumping with him. Most of the time I had no idea what was going on, but it was brilliant all the same.

The score was close, but when the final whistle blew the W's had won. We went _crazy_. Wes and David pulled me into a huge hug, ruffling my hair in a way that normally would have had me screaming, but right now didn't bother me at all. Artem and Stefan were hugging and jumping and Gabriel had his fist in the air – for the first time in a while it felt like we were all a team.

* * *

As soon as I was able to I ran down the stand towards the pitch. I was aiming for Scott but found Blaine first – he opened his arms wide and I leapt into them, letting him spin me around and both of us laughing excitedly.

"That was so fun I don't even like football but it was so fun!" I burbled, caught up in the fun of it all and Blaine laughed again, before pressing his lips earnestly to mine. Celebration kisses were almost as good as making up kisses and hormone filled kisses and soft blissfully happy kisses. I could have allowed myself to get lost in it, or pull him straight off to some deserted locker room and continue in the same vein, but our moment was broken by me spying Scott out of the corner of my eye.

"Scott!" He looked ecstatic, waving his helmet frantically in the air, his eyes wide with excitement and exhilaration. When our eyes met this was heightened further – he ran up to me at such a speed that I briefly feared for my life, but luckily the masses of pads meant that the hit was mostly absorbed, and I was instead crushed by his arms.

"KURT WE WON! KURT WE WON! KURT WE WON!" He exclaimed, jumping up and down so I felt my brain rattle against my skull. I laughed, trying to speak but failing, everything so lost in the huge haze of happiness that enveloped everything.

"Hey Scott – you got MVP!" One of the other players came over, an equally huge grin on his face, clapping my best friend on the shoulder with even more force than he normally did. For a second the junior seemed confused, before his eyes widened again and his mouth stretched.

"_I GOT MVP_? HELL YES!" Letting go of me to bound off towards the team I laughed again, feeling Blaine's arms slip round me once again.

"Fully deserved." My boyfriend muttered into my ear. "His annoying basically won the team the game."

"Finally a place where that is useful." I smiled, watching the captain of the team hand Scott a huge bottle of champagne. I watched him shake it, shouting out burbles of words that didn't really make much sense but still made my heart happy, before popping off the cork.

* * *

The champagne gushed down, hitting the soft green of the grass and sending out splashes of bubbles that nearly reached my feet. In shock everyone looked up at Scott, whose trousers were now completely soaked, his face also wet from the liquid that had rebounded upwards.

"What?" It took a while for me to comprehend, until I saw the bottom of the bottle, the base flapping open, the trigger having opened it.

"Oh…" Suddenly laughter rang out, everyone turned to see Phoenix and Oscar bent over, tears spilling from their eyes.

"Nice celebration Macleod!" Oscar shouted in between guffaws, Phoenix grabbed onto his shoulder and they almost fell over. Oh no… I flashed my eyes back to Scott, expecting to see his face red, his fists clenched, ready to rush out and stop the fight that was inevitably going to happen. But to my surprise, he seemed calm. His arms were outstretched, but his fingers were relaxed, almost inviting.

"Well done guys." He said, the tone of his voice unnerving. "You got me."

"Oh, we got you alright! You are _got_!" This had to be the breaking point, it had to be. Why was he so calm?

"I know. And I just wanna say…" Suddenly he paused, the whole crowd were silent, leaning forward to hear, even the two pranksters halting their laughter. "…Good luck getting out of your pads." Another brief silence descended again. I turned to Blaine, confusion in my expression, wanting to know what was going on. He had a smile on his face.

"Look at them." Pointing his finger I followed it to Phoenix and Oscar. They were both looking at each other, their gleeful expressions now far far away. Gingerly Phoenix reached out towards Oscar's shoulder, where the fabric of his shirt rested over the plastic pads that had kept him safe during the game. For a second he hovered over it, unsure whether to proceed, before he softly tugged at the shirt. The pad moved with it.

"Oh my God." Somebody nearby said. Phoenix tugged harder – the pad jerked violently but still stayed fixed to the shirt. Oscar's expression became panicked.

"He glued their pads together!" Now I understood what was happening a huge grin spread across my face. Scott had known. He'd known this was going to happen – that Phoenix and Oscar were going to strike first and prank him. And he'd fought back.

"MACLEOD!" Phoenix's expression was enraged – people around us had begun to laugh and Scott had a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"Guys." He said, raising his hands in the air like he was leading an army. "The prank war _is on_."


	29. Bomb

_The majority of this chapter was written whilst I was sat in a classroom and supposed to be doing observations..._

_I hope you appreciate it :D_

* * *

**Chapter 29 - Bomb**

I stared down at the words on my paper, my squiggly handwriting spiralling and merging into one. Ergh.

"I hate conjugating verbs." A soft chuckle sounded from a few metres away. Looking up I saw a smile on Blaine's face, but he was still staring down at his own work.

"It's true. I hate it." I dropped my pen onto my page and leant back.

"You wouldn't have taken Spanish if you didn't like it." Blaine responded, still not averting his gaze.

"Well that doesn't mean I have to like _all_ of it." He chuckled again and I folded my arms, sulking. The Head Boy study was about the size of a normal senior room – a bookshelf at the back holding encyclopaedias and reference material, a huge pin board on the side wall covered with notes and rotas and pictures, and a big mahogany desk in the centre, where my boyfriend now sat. As I watched him work my eyes marvelled at the flawless texture of his skin, the way his shiny black hair tucked neatly behind those cute little ears of his, how soft and inviting his lips looked as they were pursed together in concentration… Soon what little focus I'd had on doing my work was long gone.

"Whatcha doooin?" I'd stood up and walked slowly over to the Head Boy's table, slipping my arms over his shoulders and speaking softly into his ear. Blaine groaned.

"_Kurt._"

"What?" I replied, faking innocence. My torso was now flush against his back and I drew concentric circles on his chest with my fingers. "Can't I enquire as to how my boyfriend is doing?"

"You know that's not your intention."

"Try me." Blaine looked up, trying to gauge my expression. For a second I was lost in deep hazel eyes and nearly succumbed, but managed to regain myself.

"Well," it seemed he believed me – turning back to his work and beginning to point out different things, "seeing as some of the house cup tournament dates have been changed I've been trying to rearrange the _OH!_" I laughed at the sudden exclamation – it had been caused by me pressing a kiss to the back of Blaine's neck, where his hair tailed off and his back began.

"Carry on." I murmured against his skin. He swallowed.

"Well…er…" Slowly I began to move upwards, pressing my lips softly but keeping them there long enough to leave little saliva marks. Blaine was really struggling to concentrate.

"I'm…rearranging…the…"

"Mmn." I murmured in response, but also in pleasure. I'd forgotten how good he tasted.

"The…timetable…"

"Yes…"

"For…" Now I'd reached the top of his neck I began to kiss up Blaine's jaw – he gasped again and began to breathe loudly.

"For?"

"For…" Suddenly he couldn't take it any longer, jerking his head round and pulling me into a passionate kiss. The movement was so strong and unexpected that I lost my balance, crashing into the desk so my hip jarred and I yelped out in pain. Blaine swivelled his chair to face me however and soon that pain was quickly forgotten – he yanked me onto his lap so I was straddling him and began to move his hands roughly up and down my back. I could feel him reaching for the edges of my shirt, so let him under and gasped when I felt his coarse hands on my skin, me doing the same to him so he moaned in pleasure. Our tongues were duelling and our breathing escalating, I could feel our skin getting hotter and hotter and soon it felt like I was going to burst.

Knock knock

* * *

Instantly we broke apart, both of us immediately gasping for air. Blaine's hair was sticking up wildly from where I'd stuck my hands in it and several of the buttons on his shirt had popped open.

_Knock knock_

"Hello?" A voice sounded from outside – I normally would have begged for us to ignore it, but recognised the tone. Leaning back I quickly detached myself, frantically trying to smooth down my hair and straighten up my clothes. I took a drink of water to attempt to cool myself down and sat back down in my chair, picking up my Spanish work and pen as Blaine walked briskly towards the door.

"Hey Nathaniel." He said cheerily as he opened it. "What's up?"

"Nothing much, I was just wondering if you were rearranging the Wordsworth timetable after those tournament dates were changed." The two of them walked into the room, Nathaniel holding a folder stacked full of papers, and began to discuss their timetables, before the Wildeian suddenly caught my eye.

"Oh." He said, stopping abruptly. "Hi Kurt, I didn't realise you were in here." I smiled, raising my hand in greeting and trying to look as normal as possible. I hoped to Marc Jacobs that my cheeks weren't still flushed.

"Wait, I didn't…" Now he turned to Blaine, his expression worried "…_interrupt_ anything, did I?" Blaine chuckled.

"Oh no." He replied, sounding nonchalant, but also secretly fighting to keep his colour down. "You're fine. Kurt and I were just studying."

"Conjugating verbs." I added, holding up my work to emphasise my words. For a second Nathaniel's expression seemed unsure, but thankfully he suddenly smiled again.

"Well that's great then. Where have you put the cleaning duties?" The two seniors quickly became engrossed in charts and times and I groaned under my breath, returning my gaze to my Spanish work, which now seemed even more unappealing than before.

"Stupid conjugating verbs…"

* * *

"What are you and Blaine going to do for Valentines Day?" Steven, Wade, Connor and I were all sat in the cafeteria. We were working on a history presentation we'd just been given the lesson before, but had decided to do it over coffee and monster cookies. The question had come out of the blue and it stunned me.

"Me and Blaine?" Steven nodded, a smile on his face and I let out a short noise of surprise. I still found it hard to adjust to the fact that people were ok with talking about gay relationships here, let alone the fact that I was actually in one.

"Um… I don't know." I'd barely even registered in my mind that the day was coming. Normally I avoided it at all costs, choosing instead to watch gory horror movies, or, at my very worst, cry into my pillow the whole day. The thought that this year I'd actually have somebody to spend it with was…well it was alien.

"Have you spoken about it?" Wade asked. Immediately my cheeks flushed.

"Um, no. This is my first Valentines Day in a relationship." Murmurs of understanding rang out between the boys.

"Last year was my first." Steven said. "I always managed to time it so we broke up right before. My Mum thought I had an irrational fear of buying flowers and teddies."

"It's always so confusing!" Wade added animatedly. "Do they want something big, or just a dinner, or something you made yourself?" I laughed, glad that I wasn't the only one with problems.

"What about you Conner? What are you doing with Carly?" Wade turned to look at the Irishman and we all followed – he had been unusually quiet but was grinning.

"I was gonna take her to the baseball the weekend and get them to put up on the screens that I love her." Immediately I let out an 'aww', unable to stop myself – interestingly the two other boys joined me.

"That is so cool man!" Wade said. "I wish I'd thought of doing that."

"Maybe you can try it next time you actually have a girlfriend." Steven replied, receiving a thump on the arm for his trouble. As the three of them laughed and joked about previous dating disasters I let my mind drift off to think about my own Valentines Day. I was pretty sure Blaine had had boyfriends before, and he'd done probably done things with them. Did the fact he hadn't mentioned it mean he didn't want to do anything? Besides the making out we normally did I couldn't think of anything extra ordinary I had my sights set on. I guess as long as I had Blaine I was happy with anything we did – even if that meant not doing anything at all.

"Hey, Kurt." Suddenly I was broken out of my trance by Conner shaking me on the shoulder. I shook my head and looked at him questioningly.

"I think Scott wants you." Following his outstretched arm I saw the figure of my best friend hurtling across the cafeteria – what looked like flour in his hair.

"Kurt! Kurt!" Instantly I was worried. When I was approached like this it normally meant trouble.

"What is going on?" I asked, not really wanting to find out. Scott grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet, already dragging me off to the door before he replied.

"Oscar and Phoenix put a bucket of flour above my door. Me and Preston got covered." Oh Gaga – Preston. Scott had been roomed with possibly the most nervous boy at Dalton. He was only a part time student but had ridiculous OCD tendencies – something that didn't bode well with the world's messiest roommate.

"Jeez." I replied, "What are you going to do?" My best friend grinned.

"_We_ are going to fight back."

**Oh no.**

I was going to protest but wasn't given the chance – we flew out into the corridor and I left Conner, Steven, Wade and our history project far behind.

* * *

"Water balloons?" I wasn't happy. Scott and I were perched precariously on a balcony of one of the main Dalton buildings, (Gaga knows how we'd got up there – I'd just blindly followed) me holding open the stretchy pieces of plastic and him pouring the water into them.

"Yeah, I know, it's genius!" He replied, obviously not noticing my displeasure.

"I was thinking more childish."

"And flour on the top of the door isn't?" He had a point. I nodded, conceding but still not fully agreeing.

"Now I know Phoenix and Oscar come down here every day after their calculus lesson, and even better they come alone, because they stay five minutes after." Stating his briefing with the precision of an army general Scott seemed intent on his task – and he'd obviously researched it thoroughly. I wondered how much homework had been put aside for such a process.

"When they walk down here I'll give you the signal and you hit them first. Then I'll hit them again and we'll go from there." I laughed at the sheer ludicrousy of what we were doing, shaking my head.

"I can't believe you roped me into doing this."

"Oh shut up Kurt, you know you love it." I was going to counter back that no – I most certainly did not enjoy skulking in high enclosed spaces that were dirty and would probably get marks on my clothes that I would have to wash at least three times wasting time and money – when we heard the sound of approaching footsteps and Scott pushed me down.

"_Stay here and wait for my signal._" He hissed. Silently he crept further down the balcony, keeping eye contact and staying below the ledge, before crouching into position and peeking over. For some reason my heart was beginning to pound – as the sound of footsteps and chattering voices that were obviously Phoenix and Oscar's became louder and louder I was desperate to look, but kept my head down and my fingers clasped over the bulging orange water balloon.

"Three…" Scott whispered, holding up his fingers. Two fingers…one finger…GO!

* * *

Leaping up I threw the balloon with as much force as I could muster, ducking down as soon as it left my fingers and praying that I'd been accurate. A thudding sound and a cry of

"Hey!" told me it had reached its target. Scott grinned, thrusting his thumb violently in the air, before quick as a flash darting up and throwing his own missile. This one was also on point.

"MACLEOD!" Phoenix shouted, obviously figuring out what was happening. Realising that we didn't have much time Scott signalled for us to go full throttle and I threw two balloons simultaneously, hitting Oscar on the head and Phoenix on the shoulder. Because of our differing positions the two Dahl students didn't know where to move, blocked one way by me and the other by Scott. To my delight they began to panic and eventually ran forwards – at which point my best friend pulled the trigger on a bucket he'd set up further down and the water cascaded down onto their heads, soaking them both to the skin.

"THAT'S ONE ALL BUDDIES!" He cried in celebration, smacking my hand in a hi-five and we laughed as Oscar and Phoenix skulked off, mumbling obscenities under their breath.

"_That_, was freakin AWESOME!" Scott exclaimed again once we were sure they'd gone, pulling me into a fierce hug so I laughed.

"I have to admit, it was kind of fun." I replied reluctantly, prompting another excited yelp and a clap on my back.

"Kurt the prankster!" I never thought I'd see that!"

"Me neither."

* * *

I was still laughing when I made my way up the Wilde stairs, the edges of my blazer still wet from the balloons that had burst before we'd had a chance to throw them. Reaching inside my pocket for my keys I looked down and didn't notice the figure crossing my path until I bumped straight into it.

"Oh!"

"Oh!" We both called out simultaneously. I looked up to apologise but he spoke first.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stop in front of you like that."

"It's ok – I wasn't looking – it's my fault." Gabriel seemed surprised that I wasn't angry at him. In fact, so I was I. But I had said we would be friends. Plus, I was in far too good of a mood right now to let anything spoil it.

"Oh…" Now that I'd apologised I moved to continue down the hall to my room, but Gabriel stepped in front of me again.

"I was actually going to your room." He blurted, making my eyebrows raise. "I mean, I was going to see you. To see if you were there."

"Oh. Really. Why?" I folded my arms, interested to see what he was going to say. Gabriel swallowed.

"Um…well, I was going to ask, um, if you would, er, help me with something."

"Help you? With what?"

"Trig." He held up the papers I hadn't noticed he'd been carrying until now and I saw diagrams and symbols on that I recognised.

"If I want to qualify for med school then I need to pull up my Trig grade." Med school? I couldn't imagine a worse candidate for a doctor. "So I enrolled into evening classes, but I still need some serious coaching. I know you take it and that you're averaging an A, so I was wondering if you would be my tutor." There was an awkward silence. I scuffed my feet, not really knowing what to say.

"Gabriel, I don't really think-"

"-I know it's weird, and it's probably a bit soon for me to be asking-"

"-It _is_ weird. I mean, we only just agreed we'd be friends, and you said some pretty harsh stuff about Blaine…"

"I know, I know, and I wouldn't normally ask, it's just…" Suddenly it was his turn to look at the floor, his expression becoming sad. "I really don't have many people I can talk to here because they all think I'm weird, and I really need to pass this Trig exam otherwise my parents will get really mad…" Well darn it. If there was one thing I couldn't resist, it was a heartfelt plea. A long loud sigh escaped from my lips.

"Ok, _fine_. I will tutor you. But this is just a trial period – if it's too weird then we'll have to stop." Gabriel's face lit up.

"Oh thank you thank you!" He went to hug me but quickly stopped himself, something I was thankful for. "You will not regret this! I will be the best student ever!"

"Haha." I laughed in reply, waving goodbye as I made my way down the corridor to my room. I guess I'd done the right thing, helping out a friend. And how bad could it be, it was just tutoring. Shaking my head at the crazy day I had had I fished out my key and unlocked the door.


	30. Valentine

_Many apologies for the huge delay in this chapter being posted, but I was chilling out in Chicago and had no time for writing :D_

_Now however I am back in good old England, and present to you the longest chapter of YDOYD yet. And possibly the best._

_Valentines Day xxx_

* * *

**Chapter 30 - Valentine**

"So, what are you and Blaine doing for Valentines Day?" I nearly spat out my sandwich.

"For Gagas sake! _Why_ does everybody keep asking me that?" Scott raised his hands in the air, surprise on his face.

"Woah! Jeez, sorry for asking." I looked down, annoyed.

"No, I'm sorry, it's me."

"I gather you and Blaine haven't talked about it then."

"No, we haven't." A deep sigh escaped from my lips.

"I'm sure it'll be fine."

"But I'm so confused – does the fact he's not mentioned it mean he doesn't want to do anything? He could have this irrational hatred of all public holidays but _I_ wouldn't know because _we_ never talked about it. Or he could be expecting me to be planning something and he's going to be all disappointed because I haven't-"

"-_Kurt_." I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked at my best friend. "_Stop stressing_. If I know Blaine, and I do, he's probably planned the whole day, but he's just keeping it a surprise." Hmm, that sounded feasible.

"Blaine _is_ good at planning…"

"Yeah! He planned that photo thing for you didn't he? Although he did need a bit of prompting for that." My ears pricked.

"Prompting? From who?"

"Um, nobody! I don't know…" I was about to question my friend further, suspicion growing on my features, when he suddenly jerked his arm out towards something.

"Hey, look! Now's your chance!"

"What?" I looked over in confusion, before noticing Blaine walking through the cafeteria, quickly grabbing some food.

"Go ask Blaine if he's planned anything for tomorrow." For a second I dithered, unsure what the best course of action was, before my curiosity got the better of me and I ran over.

* * *

"Hey! Blaine!" My boyfriend's eyes lit up when he saw me – my heart fluttered and I had half a mind to just kiss him right there and then. However, there were more important things on my mind.

"Can I talk to you about something?" I slipped my arm round his waist but Blaine pulled his expression into an awkward grimace.

"Oh Kurt, baby, I would love to talk, but I've got a Head Boy meeting right now and I'm already late." For a split second my world was rocked by being called 'baby' (we'd reached the point of endearing names – this was like heaven to me) however, it immediately crashed down again at the rejection.

"Oh, ok…"

"I'm so sorry, I promise we'll talk later ok?" He gave me a sincere glance, trying to wash the disappointment from my eyes, before bestowing me a quick kiss and then scooting off out of the door.

* * *

"No luck?" Scott asked as I trudged back to the table. I shook my head.

"Nope. He was late for a Head Boy meeting."

"Jeez they have a lot of those. I am never putting myself up for that job that's for sure." As I sat down and took another bite of my sandwich, I tried to tell myself not to worry. Blaine and I would talk tonight, everything would be solved. I was probably getting flustered for nothing.

"Do you and Mercedes have plans?" I suddenly asked, making Scott look up questioningly. "For Valentines Day?" He grinned.

"Oh _BOY_ – that pretty little lady is not going to know what _hit_ her." I laughed, swallowing my mouthful and wondering how long the phone call I would have with my other best friend was going to be the day after.

* * *

When I got back to my dorm at the end of the day I was exhausted. I hadn't stopped moving the whole day and as a result had had no time to schedule in any talking session with Blaine. When I reached my door however, there was a note tacked to it, with handwriting I recognised.

**Hey Kurt – sorry we never got time for that talk – things overran and I just haven't had the chance. I promise I'll make it up to you. See you tomorrow. Blaine xxx**

I sighed, lightly tugging it off the door and holding it up to my chest as I stumbled into my room and collapsed onto the bed. Well he wanted to see me tomorrow – that was a start. I guess if we did have any Valentines Day plans I was going to have to find out on the day itself.

* * *

I woke up groggily, but with a feeling that something was different.

Light shone into my room and I realised that my curtains had parted so a thin beam of morning sunlight cast across my bed and onto something placed at the end. Instantly I sat up. Sitting there, the moisture on the petals from some last minute watering sparkling like diamonds, was a huge bouquet of flowers. And they were lilies.

"Oh Gaga." I whispered under my breath, scrambling excitedly across the bed and grabbing hold of them. I took a deep breath of the scent and sighed. There was a note attached to the wrapping and I pulled it off to read, chuckling softly.

**Happy Valentines Day. Meet me in the cafeteria and wear warm clothes – it's cold outside.**

I couldn't help it – I squealed. Not wasting a second more my feet hit the floor and I ran to grab my towel for the shower. Some serious primping was in order.

* * *

When I stepped into the cafeteria I felt refreshed and excited, tiny little butterflies of anticipation fluttering about in my tummy. I'd taken one of the lilies and slotted it through my button hole and couldn't stop glancing at it every couple of seconds, pride rippling through me. When I saw Blaine my heart leapt again – especially when I saw what he was wearing. His grey coat was unbuttoned and flapped open to reveal a white and black striped polo underneath a deep burgundy cardigan, the most adorable turn-up jeans, and of course, immaculate black shoes. But the most important detail, the detail that made the butterflies grow and begin to thump against my stomach – no hair gel. Sweet Gaga all I wanted to do was run my hands through it and we hadn't even started.

As I approached my boyfriend went to say something but I didn't give him the chance, cupping my hand to the back of his neck and kissing him passionately.

"Happy Valentines Day baby." He said when we broke apart, chuckling softly. Holy Louboutin there he went again. These 'baby's were going to kill me.

"How did you get into my room?" I asked. It seemed an odd question, but it was the first one that had popped into my head. The combination of Blaine being Blaine, and the new smell that was beginning to waft over me of gorgeous cologne, had made me feel rather dizzy.

"I have my sources." He replied with a grin. "All Head Boys have master keys for their house, so a quick word with Nathaniel and I had full access."

"Jeez, that's a bit creepy."

"Yeah, it is isn't it?"

"You could just walk in, at any time."

"And I was right there by your bed, I could have done anything."

"I should report you."

"Yes, you should..." As we'd spoken our faces had drawn closer and closer together, our voices quietening and our mouths stretching out into blissful smiles, until finally they connected. Gaga…

"A_nyway_…" Suddenly Blaine broke away, our lips still inches apart, my head leaning to the side in sheer bliss, "_We_ should get some breakfast." I made a noise of disappointment, before linking my fingers with his and allowing myself to be dragged off towards the servery.

* * *

"So, what are our plans for today?" I slipped the piece of scrambled egg off my fork and into my mouth. Blaine looked up from his grapefruit and smiled.

"Well if I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise." I scowled, making him laugh.

"No fair."

"What I would say though, is don't eat all that food." Glancing down at the rest of my egg and toast, my eyebrows furrowed.

"Why?"

"Because you'll need an appetite." He licked the juice off his spoon with a flourish and my heart flipped. I noticed a couple of other boys were sharing romantic breakfasts with their partners – it was a Dalton rule that outsiders were allowed in for the day, but couldn't stay longer than 8pm. This meant that most of them ate very quickly, obviously wanting to spend the rest of their time doing more, _exciting_ things.

"I wonder if Scott's got to Lima yet." I mused to the two of us. My best friend was making the trip as a surprise – one that I was sure would reap him many rewards. "He set off really early."

"Scott? Up early? That's a new one."

"I know. He thinks Mercedes is worth it though."

"She is." I smiled, taking one final mouthful of my breakfast before pushing the plate away.

"So, shall we be off?"

* * *

I hadn't been in Blaine's car since our infamous first date – the memory of sitting in the plush seats brought back so many happy thoughts that I struggled to contain myself. Blaine slipped into the drivers chair and grinned at me as he turned on the ignition, his ipod booting up to reveal Teenage Dream again.

"For old times sake." He said with a smile, the dimple on his cheek making me melt. "I never get bored of it if I'm quite honest."

"Me neither."

As we drove the feeling in my stomach started to mix between excitement and curiosity. If Blaine's previous surprises were anything to go by then I was sure I was in for a treat, but I was still desperate to know. As he drove my boyfriend's posture was relaxed, humming along to the music and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in a way that made me smile. How had I been so lucky? I would never know.

"You ok?" I came back to reality and realised he'd caught me staring. My cheeks flushed.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"We're nearly here. In fact…" Turning to the right we pulled into a field and my eyebrows furrowed again. There wasn't anything anywhere _near_ here. What were we doing? "Ta dah." Before I could say anything else Blaine hopped out of the car, running around to let me out before going to the trunk.

"I hate to ask Blaine, but why are we in the middle of a field?" I cautiously stepped forward, carefully surveying the ground. (Generally fields and expensive shoes did not mix. I'd had too many experiences with animal droppings for my liking.) Blaine looked up and pointed to something, clearing his throat.

"Ok, my apologies, a field with a _forest_?" He smiled.

"Well – we are doing what every couple does at some point in their relationship." Hauling out a huge tweed basket his smile widened to a grin. "Having a picnic!" My eyes widened.

"A _picnic_?" For a second Blaine looked concerned.

"Yeah…is that ok?"

"As long as I don't have to sit on this grass in these jeans that is the best idea ever." I smiled, holding out my arms to take something and he handed me a blanket.

* * *

Blaine hadn't been wrong when he'd said wrap up warm – there was a strong breeze and every so often it blew through the trees and made me pull my coat in closer. The spot we'd picked for our picnic was fairly secluded however, and acted as a block for most of the time. I'd helped set the blanket down on the ground, finding bits of wood and stone to hold the corners down, but my boyfriend had done all the rest, opening the huge basket to reveal a delicious selection of finger food.

"Wow." I'd gasped, leaning forward to breathe in the scent of cheese and fruit, my mouth watering. "Where did you get all this?"

"Nathaniel helped again." He admitted shyly, "his kitchen contacts."

"Well thank _you _Nathaniel…" Moving back into a seated position, my legs crossed neatly under one another, I watched Blaine produce two plates from back of the basket. He handed one to me and then began piling food on his.

"I can't believe we only just ate breakfast and we're having this." I muttered, picking out some crackers.

"Well I did tell you not to have much. Plus we can spread this meal out as long as we want – we have all day." Man that was a sentence I could hear more often.

* * *

The food was delicious – I reminded myself to pay a visit to the kitchen staff when we got back and thank them. It was very hard not to sit there and stuff my face to oblivion. Blaine however, managed to keep my mind on other things throughout the meal, feeding me bits of fruit and generally being adorable. The constant battle in my brain between food and sex was so ferocious it had me exhausted.

"How is your day going so far?" I turned my head sideways so I could see Blaine – I was splayed out on my back with my shoes touching the edge of the blanket. He was laid out next to me on his side, propping himself up with his elbow. A blissful smile spread across my face.

"Very well." Blaine smiled back, plucking a grape from his bunch and holding it up to my lips. I leant forward slightly to bite it in half, sucking the piece into my mouth and watching him smile as he placed the other half in his.

"Good."

"Have you…?" Suddenly I was embarrassed to ask the question, my eyes dropping to look at the ground and my cheeks reddening. A hand reached out to push my chin back upwards.

"Kurt?"

"Have you…had Valentines Days like this before?" He seemed puzzled.

"Well no, not like this, with you…"

"No, I mean, with other guys. Have you done things like this with other people?" Now he looked concerned.

"Well…yes. I've had boyfriends on Valentines Day. Two." I knew there was nothing to it, but I couldn't stop the pang of jealousy from darting through my gut. "But they were very different."

"How?" Moving so he could stroke my cheek as he spoke, Blaine continued.

"Well, the first was when I was twelve – his name was Cole. We went out for dinner and dressed up all smart – I thought it was the most grown up thing I'd ever done. Of course our parents were sitting at the table next to us, but that wasn't the point." I chuckled and he smiled, his fingers running along the creases in my face. "Then the next one was three years later – he was Jeremiah. I thought he was the one you know – we'd been together four months, which was a long time when you're fifteen. I spent hours the night before making him a card from a Pringles tube, because I knew he loved them. When we met up I was so excited to give it to him, and he told me it was sweet, but I'd got the wrong flavour." A soft gasp escaped from my lips. Blaine nodded. "I know right? I was devastated. We went through the whole date with me wanting to cry – he asked me to look after the card because he didn't have a bag and I took it home and tore it up. We didn't last much longer after that." He gave a short laugh and I stared up into his eyes, suddenly seeing a tinge of sadness as he remembered the time. Instinctively my hand reached to rest on the side of his face.

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't be sorry – it was his fault. He turned out to be a jerk anyway so it was probably for the best."

"So you've had mixed celebrations then?"

"Yup." I sighed, dropping back onto my back and staring up at the grey sky.

"_Kurt._" A hand snaked round my waist, pulling me over so I was suddenly pressed against Blaine's body, both of us on our side. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I received a sarky look. "It's nothing, I swear. Nothing for you to be worried about."

"If you're not completely happy then that worries me." I sighed.

"It's just…well, I thought that…" Blaine was rubbing circles on my back, his expression caring, willing me to confide. "I thought that you might have had so many Valentines Days already that you might be bored of it…that you might not want to do anything with me." A sigh escaped from my boyfriend's lips.

"Oh _Kurt_. Of _course_ I wanted to do something with you! I planned this didn't I?"

"Yes, I know. But I was just worried y'know? Because we didn't talk about it." Now Blaine pulled me in closer, one of his legs intertwining with mine.

"I'm sorry we didn't talk about it, I know we should have. But I knew this was your first Valentines and I wanted to make it special – I wanted you to feel the crazy butterflies that you get when someone surprises you, and the thrill of the new experiences. I wanted you to have the perfect, proper Valentines Day that I didn't have with Jeremiah. Because you deserve it." Suddenly I felt an overwhelming emotion flow through me. Gripping tight onto Blaine's shoulders I pressed my lips fiercely to his, trying to transfer the emotion, the pure love that I felt for him right now.

"You are amazing." I mumbled into his open mouth. "Everything is amazing. I…"

* * *

Suddenly the feeling of something big and wet dripped onto my head.

"Aaaaah!" Immediately I jerked up, my hands frantically wiping at my hair to get whatever had fallen on me off. Blaine seemed worried.

"What's wrong?"

"Something wet just landed on my head! Something horrible aaaah!" Once again another drop landed on me, this time on my shoulder. I yanked my cardigan towards my face to try and see what it was and Blaine laughed.

"Kurt." He said. "Look up." Twisting my head to stare up I noticed the deep grey clouds that had begun to pool and swirl around the sky. Another raindrop fell down and hit me square in the forehead, I cried out again and Blaine laughed once more.

"Looks like we'd better be going." Hurriedly we gathered up our picnic, throwing the uneaten food into the basket and scrunching up the blanket. As we made our way towards the car the rain began to fall more steadily – from the looks of it it seemed like a storm was brewing. When we reached it Blaine opened the trunk and we chucked the things inside – I immediately went to run for the passenger door but an arm jerked out to stop me.

"Kurt." Blaine said, pulling me close again. "You know I want you to experience new things?"

"Yes…"

"Well how about dancing in the rain?" Flicking his arm I was spun out and then snapped back towards him – our noses bumped together and I let out a surprised squeal.

"But it's wet…" I complained, looking down at my clothes, which were already dotted with dark patches.

"That's what makes it fun." Realising I wasn't going to have much choice I nodded reluctantly and Blaine whisked me away from the car into the middle of the field.

* * *

For some reason the dancing took me immediately back to the Dalton ball, stepping with Cynthia and desperately trying to keep my emotions in check. I remembered looking at Blaine's dance partner and feeling the darkest of jealousies – that I would never get to hold him like she was. And now, here I was, moving to a silent beat on an invisible dance floor, with the man I loved. Blaine was leading, one arm wrapped securely round my waist and the other hand gripping tightly to mine. His eyes were fixed on me and the rain was streaming down his face, drops dripping off his nose and collecting in his eyelashes. The smile on his face was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Suddenly I didn't care that we were getting soaked. I didn't care that the rain was dripping down the back of my shirt and making me shiver. I didn't even care that my shoes were probably going to be ruined. This was perfect.

* * *

When we stumbled back up the Wordsworth stairs both of us were giggling like children. Blaine had insisted that he give me a piggyback the whole way back from the car, which had provided hilarious results. As he attempted to set me down I lost my footing and tumbled over onto my bottom.

"Oh my God, are you ok?" Blaine asked, still managing to sound concerned in between his giggles.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I responded, also unable to stop my laughter. Bending down he grabbed hold of my hands, hoisting me up so I giggled again.

"You smell like rain." I murmured, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my nose into his still damp cheek. "I like rain." Silently our lips met, scents mingling and wet clothes sliding against each other. A large shiver of pleasure ran through me but Blaine mistook it for cold.

"We should probably shower." He said, breaking away so I let out a mewl of disappointment. "Wait here." Scooting off into his room he shut the door behind him and I leant back against the wall, closing my eyes. Now that the fun had been broken I really was cold, my clothes were sticking against me and it was hard to move. I dreaded to think what my hair looked like.

When Blaine returned he had two towels and a bunch of clothes.

"You can just borrow mine." He said, handing me a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. I smiled, taking them gratefully before we made our way to the showers.

* * *

The warm water was like heaven. My wet clothes lay in a heap on the floor (I was never wearing skin tight jeans in the rain ever again – they'd taken _forever_ to get off) and I stuck my head straight into the flow, sighing with pleasure. A chuckle from the next cubicle rang out and I realised that Blaine could hear me. It was a strange feeling knowing that we were both naked right now, with only a thin tiled wall separating us. Really, there was nothing stopping me from slipping round and… _Ergh_. I closed my eyes and tried to block out the unsavoury images that were now racing through my head.

When my five minutes was up I reluctantly stepped out into the misty air, beginning to dry myself and slip into the clothes Blaine had provided. Both were a little big, and totally at the other end of my normal clothing spectrum, but I realised in delight that they smelt completely and deliciously of _him_. For a long while I just stood there, smelling them, until the man himself called out from outside.

"Are you ready?" Picking up my wet clothes I opened the door and saw my boyfriend in similar attire – his damp hair acting like gel so he seemed like he'd just got back from class.

"The clothes ok?" He asked, taking my towel from me.

"Yeah, they're a little big, but they're comfy." And they smell of you.

"Well I think you look adorable." Lightly kissing the top of my head Blaine interlocked his fingers with mine and we walked back to his room.

* * *

When we reached the door suddenly we stopped. Blaine turned to look at me and I saw something different in his eyes. Nerves.

"Now, I know you think the picnic was all we had planned." He began, rubbing his arm with his free hand, "but the day isn't over yet." Slowly, he opened his bedroom door and I gasped. There were flowers everywhere. Flowers on the dresser, flowers by the TV – there were even petals scattered all over the bed. The room smelt divine and I instantly leant forward, my whole body relaxing as I breathed it in.

"I hope it's not too much." Blaine asked, still looking nervous. I shook my head.

"Not at all. It's perfect." Leading us into the room my boyfriend took us over to the sofa – we sat down softly and then the kissing began.

"So, is this the plan for the rest of the evening?" I asked with a grin on my face. Blaine smiled.

"As much as I would love to just do this, I did plan other things." I pretended to be upset and he gave me a light shove, his touch turning me on more than stopping me.

"Like, what?"

"Well…I thought we could watch a Disney film-"

"-Oh my Gaga seriously?" Abruptly I sat up, surprise and happiness on my face. Blaine laughed.

"Yup."

"Yes! But only if I get to pick. Otherwise we just have to kiss all night."

"Well…we _could_ just do that…" He leaned forward to kiss me again but I hauled my body over the edge of the sofa to grab at the pile of Disney DVDs by the TV, making him growl in annoyance. Oh man, which one to pick?

"Whatcha gonna go for?" I felt fingers running along the piece of skin I'd revealed from leaning over and shivered, temporarily losing focus.

"Um, erm…" Suddenly I spied what I wanted. "Ooh! Aladdin!" Snatching up the DVD I returned to my original position, handing it to Blaine inches away from his face.

"Wanna watch?"

* * *

I'd forgotten how much I liked Disney films. That was one of the things Dad had actually managed to successfully introduce me to – not the exact films he wanted, but close enough. I remembered watching them endlessly – some of them so much that we wore the tapes out and had to buy new ones. Aladdin was the one I watched the most with Mum – my secret crush on him only the beginning of my self-discovery. As we lay on the sofa Blaine softly stroked my damp hair, his steady breathing helping to dry it. We whispered lines to each other and when it came to 'A Whole New World' sung to each other with blissful smiles on our faces. (After a brief argument over who would be Jasmine – I won.) I was in heaven.

* * *

When the film ended I stretched out on the sofa, my head tucking in underneath Blaine's chin so he laughed and tickled my now visible tummy.

"What time is it?" I asked sleepily, my eyes still closed.

"Eight thirty." My body jerked up instantly.

"Oh no! We broke the curfew! I should go-" I went to get up, frantically scrabbling for my things with worry etched across my face, but Blaine laughed again, pulling me back down.

"Actually…I was thinking you could stay the night." My eyes widened.

"_What._"

"You heard me." He was grinning. Why was he grinning? What did this mean? I was so confused I forgot how to talk.

"You could at least look a little bit happy." He continued, obviously a bit put out by my non-reaction.

"Are we _allowed_?" Oh jeez – I _had_ to stop sounding like I was a child staying up past his bedtime.

"Well, if I remember correctly, students can be granted permission to have their significant others stay over if they exhibit good behaviour by the Head Boy – which is moi." He pointed at himself and I laughed. "And I must say, I've been _exceptionally_ good recently." Grinning again he pulled me in for a kiss but I was still shocked. I was spending the night with Blaine. We would be sleeping in the same bed…

"Are you ok Kurt? Do you _want_ to stay over?" Immediately I sat up, wanting to make my reaction clear.

"Oh, yes, of course I do! It's just…this is a pretty big thing for me, staying…over…" Realisation spread across my boyfriend's face.

"_Oh_. So you've never…?"

"No. I mean, I've had slumber parties with Mercedes and Rachel, but that's completely different. They're girls."

"And not girls you're romantically involved with."

"Exactly. That would be gross." We both laughed and I instantly felt more relaxed. Blaine seemed to know how to deal with every situation – he was like my guardian angel taking me through the steps of courtship. A very handsome guardian angel.

"Well we can take it as slow as you like, it's up to you. After all, we're checking off a lot of firsts today." Slowly he sat up, unhooking my arms, which had twined around his neck and getting to his feet. "You wanna borrow some pyjamas?" I nodded.

* * *

It was only a bed. Just a big cushion held up by some pieces of wood. Why was I so scared of it? Standing by the construction I looked down at it nervously, slowly taking one of my fingers and prodding it into the mattress.

"Hmm, springy." I sounded like a complete idiot. Blaine laughed, jumping onto his side with no real issue, stretching out and holding up his arms towards me.

"Come on. I won't bite. It's just like cuddling on the sofa." For some reason my palms had begun to sweat, taking me back to the time I'd first gone swimming with my Dad, the hours standing by the side of the pool building up the courage to jump in. I swallowed down the saliva that had begun to collect in my mouth, put one knee of the bed, and then took the plunge.

It felt, nice. The bed was extremely comfy (I wondered if they gave executive mattresses to the Head Boys as well as the rooms) and even more so was my boyfriend. His arms immediately wrapped around me, pulling me close so I was immersed in his gorgeous scent, and suddenly I felt silly for worrying. Blaine would never force me to do anything.

"Now, this isn't so bad, is it?"

"No, not at all." I snuggled further into his chest, closing my eyes and smiling, before suddenly the warm blanket was taken away.

"Hey!" The words came out instinctively and Blaine laughed.

"Sorry – I just have something I want to show you." He leaned over the edge of the bed and I grumbled to myself. That wasn't fair, giving me something so nice only to take it away instantly. This better be good. When he returned my boyfriend produced his guitar – my body jerked up and suddenly became a lot more interested.

"I noticed you've never been serenaded before" he began "well, apart from Teenage Dream, but that wasn't exactly planned." I chuckled softly under my breath, remembering the first time I had set eyes upon Blaine – the moment my whole life had been turned upside down. "Well I want to rectify that." Bringing the guitar up onto his lap he sat cross-legged and began to tune the strings. "I think this song is pretty appropriate, and says something that I've been meaning to say for a while." Glancing up at me one more time, dazzling me with those eyes and that gorgeous smile, my boyfriend began to sing.

_You think that people would have had enough of silly love songs_

An instant smile appeared on my face. I loved this song.

_Well I look around me and I see it isn't so_

_Some people wanna fill the world, with silly love songs_

_Well what's wrong with that?_

_I'd like to know_

_Well here I go, again_

**I, love, you**

* * *

My life imploded.

Was this really happening? Had I just stepped into some ridiculous dream? Had I actually been dreaming all this time, fabricating this wonderful day, this whole year in my twisted little brain? Because I couldn't not be dreaming right now. It was too unreal. Blaine, my boyfriend, the love of my life, had just told me that he loved me.

**NO WAY.**

My reaction must have been visible because Blaine faltered, suddenly becoming worried like he'd done something wrong. Holy hell this was about as far away from wrong as you could get.

"Carry on." I said. My voice was cracked and to be honest I sounded like I was dying. But I was ecstatic. I took my hand and placed it on Blaine's leg and he seemed to take this as a cue, starting back where he left off

_I, love, you_

My God he'd said it again

_I, just can't explain The feeling's plain to me_

_So can't you see?_

_I, love, you_

_Love doesn't come in a minute_

_Sometimes it doesn't come at all_

_I only know that when I'm in it_

_It isn't silly_

_Love isn't silly_

_Love isn't silly at allllll_

_Not at all_

* * *

When the song finished I knew that I was crying. I hadn't consciously felt the tears come but my cheeks were wet and I was shaking lightly from sobs. Blaine out the guitar softly on the bed, looking at me anxiously, not sure what to do.

"I hope those are tears of happiness..." He said nervously. "Otherwise I think I might actually cry myself." I responded by throwing my arms around him, kissing him with more passion than I ever had before. They were definitely tears of happiness.

* * *

It seemed like hours until we finally stopped making out – I never wanted to stop, never wanted to let go of Blaine ever again. But we had to. I lay on top my boyfriend, my hand wedged up his shirt and his down the back of my trousers. Both of us were panting loudly but the grins on our faces stretched for miles.

"Wow," Blaine began, his voice holding an unbelievably sexy breathless quality, "maybe I should sing to you more often." I laughed, pressing my lips softly to his once more, before suddenly and unexpected yawn escaped.

"Oh no." I mumbled, annoyed with myself. Why did I have to be tired? If I went to sleep then this day would have to end.

"What's wrong?" Ever attentive, my boyfriend pulled me closer, concern now gracing his features. I sighed.

"Nothing. I just don't want to go to sleep yet." Blaine's mouth quirked into a smile.

"Well, we have other things we can do," another yawn came tumbling out of my mouth, "that don't require much energy."

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever been spooned?" Immediately I blushed. No – I'd never been spooned. But it was something I'd thought about many many times. All of them to do with Blaine.

"No."

"Well that's another first we can claim." Pushing me upwards so we were sitting on the bed he gestured for me to lie down properly, my head on the pillow and my body facing the wall. As I studied it I saw several photos stuck there in a haphazard way very unlike Blaine. To my delight they all contained us.

"I like to look at them when I go to sleep." Suddenly I felt a warm body behind me, Blaine snuggled up to my back and spoke into my ear, making me shiver. "Helps me relax." Wow. His arms slipped around my waist and I sighed again, making him chuckle.

"So today we had our first picnic, our first dance in the rain, our first shower in the same room," oh jeez he'd been thinking about that too "you were serenaded for the first time and now we're spooning. Has this been a god Valentines Day?" I tried to turn round but he held me close, stopping me.

"Do you even need to ask? It was perfect. You're perfect."

"Hah. I'm definitely not perfect. You are though. Completely." Blaine rested his nose on the back of my neck, his breath tickling my skin and his fingers gently stroking my stomach.

"I love you." He whispered, almost too quiet to hear – just for me.

"I love you too."


	31. Debate

_Hey guys. This chapter isn't as long as usual (I needed a break after the monster that was Valentine. So happy you all liked it btw - thanks for the lovely reviews) but I thought it would be nice to post it today seeing as it's my birthday! I am now 20 years of age and still completely obsessed with Glee :D *regrets nothing*_

_So, enjoy!_

_Liz xxx_

* * *

**Chapter 31 - Debate**

The library was busy. Very busy in fact. We'd been squished onto a small table right in the centre, surrounded by people frantically cramming for tests and groups meeting to discuss presentations. This was the last place I would have thought to have a tutoring session. Especially considering the person it was with.

"Sorry, it's a bit cramped in here." Gabriel said, digging into his bag for his Trig book and setting it neatly onto his desk. I have to admit I was impressed. I'd been expecting for us to meet somewhere quiet and secluded, or even worse – in his dorm room. But he was obviously through with trying to win me over. Or at least I hoped he was. Gabriel had grown up.

"It's fine." I replied with a smile. "As long as you can concentrate."

"I'm sure I'll be ok." Returning the smile the Wildeian brandished his pen and set it onto a clean page. "So, are we starting from the beginning?"

"I thought that would be a good place." I'd be lying if I said I hadn't enjoyed creating a study programme for my fellow junior, and to my horror the pleasure had mainly been in the charts and pretty note cards, instead of the feeling of helping someone out. I was definitely turning into Miss Pillsbury. "Try these equations for me and we'll see what stage you're at." I pointed to some questions on the first page and Gabriel immediately began scribbling. His enthusiasm was definitely evident.

"So, what did you and Blaine get up to for Valentines?" I stopped dead. Snapping my head over I searched in vain for the sarcastic look, the jealousy in his eyes, _anything_. Gabriel stared back at me like I had something funny on my shirt.

"Um…" This was weird. Too weird. He was _normal_. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Of course. I'm not like that anymore. We're friends remember?" I was still gobsmacked. This was the guy that barely weeks ago had almost started a fight at a party – shot eye daggers that would have killed instantly. I wondered if this was a test, whether proceeding was going to trigger off an alarm and cause immediate evacuation of the library and the area surrounding it. But of course, the urge to talk about Blaine was far too much to pass up. Gabriel was just going to have to deal with it.

"Well…" I dithered, wondering how to phrase it, before giving up. "It was _amazing_. We went for a picnic in the woods nearby but it started raining so we had to leave early and we got so wet I had to borrow some of Blaine's clothes and then we watched Aladdin and Blaine serenaded me and told me he loved me then we spooned on the bed and _it was the most romantic thing I have ever experienced_." The words had burbled out before I'd even had time to stop (or edit) them – instinctively I looked back at my pupil expecting to see the mask of okayness gone – the fire raging. But again to my surprise it remained.

"He said he _loved _you?" This had to be it – he wouldn't be able to stay calm through this. I braced myself for the tirade.

"Yeah."

"And you love him back?"

"_Hell _yeah."

"Well, that's awesome." I almost fell off my chair. Gabriel had gone back to doing his work and unable to stop myself I twisted my head so I could look up at his expression, my mouth hanging open. This couldn't be happening…

"Er, Kurt – what are you doing?" I suddenly realised how strange I looked and my face flushed red, instantly drawing back.

"Sorry. It's just…I wasn't expecting you to…"

"You were expecting me to be mad?" I blushed again.

"Well, um, yeah." Gabriel sighed.

"I guess I have myself to blame for that." He tapped his pen on his work and leant back in his chair. "I realise now that chasing after you was only going to make things worse. That it would make you hate me more than love me. And I value your friendship more than that." Holy hell. This was a turn up for the books.

"Thanks…I'm glad." I wasn't lying. Before the weirdness he really had been a nice person. Gabriel smiled, the boyish good looks I'd seen on our date showing through, before he went back to his work.

"Did…you do anything?" I was still speaking sheepishly, wondering how far to push it, but was still only faced with calm.

"Oh, no, not really. I've never really been that big on Valentines anyway. But what you and Blaine did was adorable." Pushing his paper over I remembered the real reason I was here and quickly glanced over the answers, nodding in approval.

"Well, you got most of these right, but there are a few issues we need to correct. For example here…" I pointed out the mistakes and Gabriel nodded intently, staring down as my fingers danced across the page. This was going to be much easier than I'd thought.

* * *

Later on that day Gabriel and I both headed to the Warblers rehearsal room, which was doubling up as the auditorium for the debate teams house contest. Wes was going out for Wordsworth and I'd promised I'd go support him – Wilde had already lost to them in the previous semi final so it was a fight for the top points with Darwin. (No surprise there – rumours had been circulating everywhere of a fixing between the Ds so Xavier could keep his team well rested.) When we reached the room I was surprised to see it so packed, still not fully adjusting to the tolerance level Dalton housed. The McKinley team were lucky to have enough people to compete, let alone anyone coming to watch them.

"Busy busy." Gabriel muttered to himself. I spotted Artem waving at me and went over – he'd saved me a seat in the front row but Gabriel had to pull one down from another behind to perch on.

"Wow, nice seats." I said, impressed. Artem smiled.

"We were here early. Brought some reading." He held up a newish copy of Vogue and I laughed, taking a glance of the cover.

"Ooh, Gwyneth Paltrow…" My hands had reached out to take it from him, but I was interrupted by a sharp tap on my shoulder. "Hmm?" Looking up I faltered. Phoenix and Oscar were standing centimetres away, the height difference from me sitting making them look rather menacing and scary. _They_ did not look pleased to be attending the event.

"Oh hi-"

"-_We know it was you_." Phoenix didn't stop for pleasantries, launching straight into his attack. I raised my hands up in defence.

"Woah, guys, steady on. I have no idea what you are talking about." Mocking laughs echoed out.

"You know_ exactly _what we're talking about." Oscar stepped forward so our feet were almost touching. "The water balloons. We know you helped Macleod." _Now_ I understood. The idea of them having some undercover mole to scout out their competition didn't surprise me, although I was quite impressed. Aside from analysing DNA from the discarded water balloons there was no obvious way of connecting me.

"Now, we know you're a newbie, and he probably made you do it – so we're gonna cut you a bit of slack." They were now closed around me, their voices taking on a hushed tone that made me nervous. I could see Gabriel looking anxious but he didn't interfere.

"But if you do _any_ more, if we catch you,"

"And _we will _catch you_._"

"You're in this. And you suffer the consequences." For a second I wondered if I was supposed to be scared. I mean, it was just pranking – I was hardly going to get maimed. But they seemed to be taking it very seriously.

"Ok, I get it. Pranking's not my thing anyway." The two boys surveyed me carefully, their striking green and blue eyes scrutinising my placid expression.

"We knew you were sensible." Phoenix smiled, a strange smile, and then, just like that – they were gone.

* * *

"What was that all about?" I turned my attention back to Gabriel, who looked confused and slightly concerned.

"You don't wanna know. Seriously." I could see he was going to press me, but was halted by a voice booming out of the small PA system that had been erected.

"If we could have some silence please. The debaters are about to take to the stage." Instantly the room hushed and five boys from Darwin and Wordsworth houses walked silently up the steps, taking a seat behind the wooden tables we normally used for meetings. I saw Wes looking rather nervous and gave him a small wave – he smiled and nodded back in return. Blaine wasn't far behind and he grinned in a way that made me glad I was sitting. Just seeing his face reminded me of waking up next to him – how amazing it had felt. That and the huge morning make out session we'd had afterwards. I wanted to make that compulsory every time one of us stayed over. The Darwin competitors looked rather scary, in the sense that half of them had glasses and had all decided to style their hair in the same side-parting fashion. Xavier proudly marched up beside them also sporting the look and I was annoyed to find that it made him decidedly more attractive. The smug look of confidence on his face however, cancelled that out.

"Welcome to the house cup debating final." A boy with a Dahl pin on his lapel spoke into the mic connected to the PA system and I turned to look at Gabriel, giving him a 'this is it' look.

* * *

Each team was allowed to pick a category from the several on offer – Wordsworth went first and picked Democracy. Despite the hard task the Darwin team came up with a very strong argument – I found myself somehow leaning towards the idea of dictatorship even though it was completely immoral. The chief debater of their team, a tall gangly boy called Corey, had the strangest accent I'd ever heard – it was like a combination of Queens English and Southern drawl. He was mesmerising though. When the first debate finished Xavier went over to congratulate his comrades, a grin on his face the size of Texas.

"S'not looking good." Gabriel said, a despondent look on his face. I saw Blaine giving the Wordsworthians a team talk and nodded.

"Hmm. But I'm sure Blaine's riling them up." Suddenly from the other side of the room I noticed Scott dashing through the seats, knocking into people and hurriedly shouting apologies. He went to run the opposite direction but I was having none of it – beckoning him over.

"What the hell are you doing?" Despite the fact that I hadn't expected him to be attending, he looked very flushed and excited – and that worried me.

"Just attending to some business." There was a wicked smile on his face, and my keen eyes spotted something in his hand that looked like a memory stick. What was he playing at? "Gotta go sorry!" I let out a cry of annoyance but it was no use. My best friend sped off and I raised my hands in the air, before letting them drop down loudly to my sides.

"What was all that about?" Gabriel asked, for the second time that afternoon. I laughed.

"I have no idea. But whatever it is, I don't think it's good."

* * *

The next debate started and Scott was long forgotten – Darwin picked animal testing and completely rocked it – despite Wes making a valiant effort to counter attack. It looked like it was going to be a walk-over for the opposing house, so I began to switch off, thinking about my next date with Blaine, which we'd planned for a couple of days from now. We were starting to get really busy with Warbler rehearsals and of course mid term revision, so things like that were going to become more infrequent. It almost seemed cruel to take it away just when thing had begun to get serious. And very juicy. I was just getting into a particularly nice replay of the 'pyjama debacle' when a loud gasp rushed around the room like a Mexican wave. Immediately I sprung to attention, wondering if somebody had passed out or there was a masked murderer waving an axe – but then the gasps turned to laughs. The screen that had been showing the discussion options now no longer had words dotted across it. Instead it was now displaying two photos – one of a dark skinned boy dressed completely in drag and another of a blonde haired individual singing into a mirror with a hairbrush. I groaned.

"_OH NO_." The photos were horrendous. If I were Oscar or Phoenix I would be hiding under my seat, and from the looks of the two of them you could probably fry an egg on their faces. By now everyone was looking at them, and despite various pleas from the PA system to stop the laughing and calm down, the noise continued to bubble. Great.

I looked around for Scott, the obvious perpetrator for the crime, but he was nowhere to be seen, probably watching from a window somewhere laughing his head off. It _was_ a good prank – a brilliant one even. Oscar and Phoenix were mortified and there was another tally added to the Macleod set - a tally that was beginning to look pretty impressive. But then it hit me. Neither of them had _seen_ Scott. Neither of them knew it was him. I was the only person in the room they knew was involved with the pranks that wasn't them.

"_Stop grinning_." I suddenly said to myself hurriedly, my tone panicked. _Stop grinning_. If you're not grinning they'll know it wasn't you. But I couldn't stop. The photos were funny. Scott was a genius. But right now I hated him for not being there. Because the two boys that obviously liked to play dress up and Singstar in their spare time were now looking at me. And it wasn't a look that said 'well played, nice one' or 'you got us'. It was a look of _death_. A look that said, no, _screamed_ 'you are dead. We gave you a chance, and now you are in this prank war.'

It looked like I was gonna have to watch my back from now on.


	32. Relax

**Chapter 32 - Relax**

I awoke to the sound of banging on my door. Loud, panicked, relentless banging.

"Ok! Jeez – I'm coming!" I called out, running my fingers hurriedly through my hair as I dragged myself out of bed and trudged towards the door. It was nine thirty for Gaga's sake.

"What is going-" I opened the door, ready to unleash my tirade of frustrated abuse to whoever had interrupted my lie-in, but stopped. There, in front of me, was a very ruffled boy. A boy with his uniform on skewed, his hair sticking up in various places, and a terrified look on his face.

"_We are doomed._"

For a second I just stopped and stared. Scott looked drained – his face completely white. He seemed to be clutching some kind of post-it note, but was holding it so tightly the ink was beginning to run from the sweat on his hands. Either the Buckeyes had just lost a crucial game or something serious was up.

"Marc Jacobs what the hell is wrong?" My tone was still fairly upbeat but Scott batted away my attempt to bring him inside, his eyes still wide with fear. "Scott you're gonna have to tell me before I start to get worried."

"_Damien is in the war._" Again I was confused. Damien? Well he was…

"He's the guy that won the fencing right?" My best friend nodded. "And he's joined the prank war?" A large shudder ran through Scott's body and my confusion grew. "So, that just means it's three against two-"

"_-NO. Kurt. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND._" A hand gripped my shoulder tightly and panicked eyes stared fiercely back. "Damien is…" Suddenly he composed himself, obviously realising a rational explanation was the only one I was really going to take seriously.

"I woke up this morning an hour late for my meeting with the disciplinary board about invading the debate competition – someone had _got into my room_ and _changed the time on my clock_. Next to it was this note." Now he held up the post-it. Squinting to read the now smudged writing I saw it said

_'Hello Scott. Looks like I'm in the game. D'_

"Damien is the _king_ of pranks. Last time he got involved with a prank war – I nearly got suspended." My eyes widened in understanding. So _he_ had been the perpetrator of the text to Conners. "I can take Phoenix and Oscar – they're good, but they're still pretty much amateurs. Damien has contacts. And I mean _serious_ contacts. I say we concede now." Now my eyebrows furrowed.

"Hey, no need to say that." Scott laughed.

"Kurt you don't _understand_. You're part of this now. You could get into serious trouble."

"I know. And I know you didn't mean to get me into it, but you did. But I'm your _best friend_. And I know you. You're not the kind of person to back down from _anything_. Even if it's something ridiculously stupid that's probably going to get you killed."

"Or suspended."

"Or suspended. I think we can take Damien. _And_ Oscar and Phoenix. But we both need to work together." It was funny – we were talking like this was the apocalypse – like we were the last two humans with a huge store of ammo psyching ourselves up to go fight the aliens. Wait – was I making a sci-fi reference? Jeez, I hung out with Scott too much. My best friend smiled, the cheeky smile that I was used to, and then clapped me roughly on the shoulder.

"Thanks dude. You rule."

"I try." I was about to say something else when he whisked off down the corridor and I was left wondering why I bothered.

* * *

An hour later and I was strutting down the corridor to Home Ec. Blaine and I were going to have lunch today, and then this evening was our planned date. I'd put myself in charge and let's just say our upcoming cinema experience was going to beat the pants off the Sound of Music sing-along. Glancing down at the new room number I'd scribbled down on the back of a receipt from the email I'd received this morning I turned the corner and found the correct door. I pushed it open triumphantly and got ready to spread my good mood around my classmates.

The room was full of freshmen.

"Excuse me?" I now found myself being stared down by twenty or so fresh faces, including the strict looking teacher, who obviously hadn't taken kindly to me barging into her lesson without knocking.

"Um, I thought I was supposed to be having Home Ec in here." I mumbled, my cheeks turning red. "I got an email…"

"I am quite sure that if there was a room change I would have been informed." The teacher replied, her voice haughty and unimpressed. "I suggest you return to your normal room, which I suggest would be the kitchens." Now the freshmen began to snigger and I flushed deeper. Of course. Of _course_ Home Ec wouldn't be anywhere else but the kitchens. I looked like an idiot.

"Oh, ok. I'm sorry." I mumbled an apology but it was too late now – I had already embarrassed myself and probably written myself off with strict teacher for the rest of my life. Exiting the classroom as quickly as I could I scrunched the receipt up in my hand and chucked it onto the floor, frustrated. Then my phone buzzed.

'Interrupt a lesson? D'

Sweet Prada. I'd been pranked. My class had never been moved – Damien had sent the email. Suddenly I stopped. Wait – that email had been from my professor's account. How had he hacked in? And how had he got my phone number? The realisation that everything Scott had said had been true _and some,_ hit. I was in the prank war. And so was Damien.

* * *

"You were totally right." As Scott and I sat having lunch we were both shell-shocked. I was chewing my sandwich very slowly and Scott had very uncharacteristically barely touched his fries.

"Damien is a demon."

"I know."

"What are we going to do?"

"I have no idea." Suddenly I noticed Gabriel emerging from the servery with a tray full of food. He hadn't noticed us so walked towards the nearest empty table and went to sit down.

"Hey!" I suddenly called out, making Scott jump in surprise and spray fries all over my shoulder. Gabriel looked up and I waved so he saw us – instantly a smile spread across his face and he changed direction.

"Woah, what are you doing?" I ignored the warning of my best friend and smiled again when the Wildeian reached us and sat down.

"How are you?" To be honest it was a nice distraction from everything that had happened. Plus I was trying not to watch the clock for Blaine.

"Good thanks. You guys look like someone told you you have a test tomorrow."

"Pah! This is way bigger than any test Gabriel. Not that _you_ would understand." Immediately I turned to look at Scott, who had suddenly become very defensive, his arms folded across his chest and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Hey! _Scott!_ Sorry" I continued, turning back to Gabriel, who seemed relatively nonplussed, "it's just prank war stuff. Scott's a bit riled."

"I am _NOT_ riled." I cocked my head to the side, raising my eyebrows to prove my point and he slumped further into his chair, sulking.

"Damien Dubrisque has decided to get involved." Immediately Gabriel's eyes widened – it seemed the Dahl fencer's reputation really did precede him. "It's ok – we can handle him." I grinned, attempting to nudge Scott and get him back in the conversation, but he shrugged me off and sulked further. Suit yourself.

"What've you been up to?"

"Oh, not much." Gabriel began meticulously cutting up the pieces of chicken in his salad to tiny little chunks, before stabbing them all onto his fork and slipping them into his mouth. "I aced my last trig test though – your tutoring really helped."

"Awesome. Well we can move onto the next chapter then." He smiled and I returned it. I'd really enjoyed our session in the library – and the fact that it was obviously working made me feel great about it.

* * *

My eyes glanced up at the clock to see that it was past twelve thirty – I was about to get my phone out and give my boyfriend a ring when it suddenly buzzed with a call.

"Aha." Happily pressing accept I put it to my ear and smiled. "Hey baby, you better get here soon or-"

"-Kurt." Blaine sounded rushed – in fact he sounded like he was jogging as he spoke, the noise of other students in the corridors bubbling all around him. "Kurt, I'm sorry, I can't make lunch."

"What?" My tone was half surprised half upset. This wasn't the first time he had bailed on me – it was beginning to get annoying.

"I know, I'm bailing again, I'm _so_ sorry! But they just sprung this meeting on me and I have to go – it's about the House Cup and we get deducted points if we skip it."

"Oh." I didn't know how else to respond – obviously I didn't want Wordsworth to lose points, but I'd been looking forward to lunch the whole day. "Will you be done by tonight?"

"Oh God Kurt, I really don't know. I'll have to postpone my class and then there's apparently some other thing on this evening. We might have to reschedule."

"We _always_ reschedule." Now the disappointment in my voice was impossible to conceal. Blaine made a pained noise down the phone and I wanted more than ever to have him here with me, to make him make noises of an entirely different manner.

"Baby, please, I feel terrible already." He said, obviously extremely guilty. "I'll try and speak to someone, see if I can get out early. But whatever happens you know I'll make it up to you. Like Valentines Day."

"_Like Valentines Day_." I repeated the words to myself – somehow the memory of that made me feel slightly better.

"Ok, I've gotta go now. But I'm so sorry. I love you."

"I love you too." Pressing the end call button I placed my phone silently on the table and then slumped back into my chair, almost completely mirroring Scott.

"Was that Blaine?" Gabriel asked, looking sympathetic. I nodded morosely.

"Yeah. He bailed on me, AGAIN. Some stupid House Cup meeting. And he might not be able to make our date tonight. I _hate_ those things." Pushing my phone further away I sighed and the Wildeian touched my arm supportively.

"That sucks. But I'm sure he'll make it up to you."

"Yeah, that's what he said." I looked up to see him smiling and managed to return it, before Gabriel suddenly caught a glance of the clock and leapt up.

"Oh God, speaking of bailing, I am gonna be late for my class if I don't go now. See you later." Hurriedly gathering up his things he waved a hand in goodbye and I raised one too, letting it fall slowly back down to the table as I watched him scurry out of the cafeteria.

* * *

"Hey." I said after a couple of seconds of silence, looking back at Scott, who was still sulking quietly in his chair. "Are you back in the land of the mature yet?"

"Shut up." He replied sharply, sitting up but still keeping his arms folded. "Why the hell were you talking to Gabriel anyway, he hates Blaine." I sighed.

"Yeah, Gabriel's changed now. He realised he was being stupid before so he wants to make amends." A harsh laugh echoed out over the cafeteria.

"You really believe that?"

"Yes, in fact. I do. And now I might as well go to History, seeing as there's nothing keeping me here." Standing up I roughly gathered up my things and walked defiantly out of the room.

* * *

History sucked. Having no Blaine or Scott around was depressing, even more so when I got the inevitable text confirming that yes, my boyfriend was holed up in meetings and discussions and we would definitely have to postpone our date. There went my carefully constructed plans. After trudging back to Wilde I was about to collapse onto my bed and wallow in self-pity ala pre Christmas, when suddenly my phone buzzed. Immediately I jumped to attention, praying it was Blaine saying something had been cancelled. It was Gabriel.

**I have something for you to do tonight. Come to mine at 7pm. G**

My brow furrowed. Well that was unexpected. What on earth did he mean? Was he asking me out again? Suddenly Scott's scepticism didn't seem so stupid after all. What if the whole tutoring thing had just been a rouse, and now he was back to his old self? I was half tempted to text back, or go to his room right now and have it out - but I stopped myself. If this was something dodgey then I would catch him at it first hand – then we really would be through as friends.

* * *

At seven I was outside Gabriel's door. I'd made a conservative effort to dress as casually as possible (well, as casual as my subconscious fashion critic would let me) to show that this was _definitely_ _not anything romantic,_ and was perfecting my nonchalant look as I waited for it to open. When it did the Wildeian looked at me, puzzled.

"What are you wearing?" I was about to reply and begin my rehearsed speech, but he interrupted. "Blaine's not gonna leave his meeting for _that_. Do you have any candles by the way?" I paused.

"Um…?"

"Do you have any? Because I have some if you need." Holding up his arms, which were full of waxy creations he smiled and I nodded slowly, still completely confused.

"Awesome. Let's go."

* * *

Twenty minutes later I stood outside a new door in a completely new outfit. Well, this door was the janitor's closet, and I was hiding in it. Gabriel was around the corner, waiting to orchestrate the first part of his carefully constructed plan, which, if I hadn't said it already – was genius. Keeping as quiet as I could, I listened for the knock on the door, and then him going inside.

"Blaine? Is Blaine Anderson here?" There were muffled murmurs, someone that sounded like Nathaniel and the low pitched grunting of Xavier.

"I'm here." My heart skipped a beat.

"There's a phone call for you. Something very important. About your mother I think." I knew the mother trick would work – that had been my main contribution along with the room decoration. Instantly the sound of a chair scraping back reached my ears and I braced myself for the next part of the plan.

"What's going on? Is she ok?" Blaine's voice got louder, full of worry and I figured I'd better put him out of his misery, opening the door and stepping out with a finger already pressed over my mouth.

"Kur-!" The shout came anyway, but thankfully my boyfriend slapped his hand over his mouth to silence it.

"Sssh!" I hissed, but with a grin on my face. He looked adorable.

"What's going on?" Blaine whispered, motioning to Gabriel and then back to me.

"Be quiet and follow me."

* * *

Just feeling Blaine's hand in mine again lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. It seemed like ages since we'd touched – I know it sounded strange but it was something I had begun to crave, and seeing his from across the hall or skyping together was only so much. As I lead him down the corridors, Gabriel already way ahead to do final preparations, he didn't say anything, but I could tell he was intrigued. The feeling of risk and mystery in what we were doing was incredibly exciting, my heart began to pound and my footsteps quickened.

* * *

When we reached my room I spun round to face Blaine, the movement a little too fast so I went temporarily dizzy and had to grab onto him for support. Gaga he smelt so nice.

"Are you going to tell me what you dragged me out of this meeting for now?" He asked, still the look of confusion on his face, but also a smile. I hoped I would be able to get my words out.

"Well, you've been working your ass off lately with all these meetings and study sessions and whatnot, and _frankly_ I'm getting a little tired of it. So we thought you deserved a little relaxation time." Signalling to Gabriel he opened the door and revealed our creation. The lights had been dimmed so the twenty or so candles flickered brightly, sending out a delectable smell of roses and wax. There were flower petals scattered about and some mood music playing from my stereo. Blaine's mouth dropped open.

"You did all this?"

"Well – the idea was Gabriel's. I can hardly take credit for that. But we teamworked." Glancing back to the junior I saw him smiling, the satisfaction of his plan coming together obviously very pleasing. I grinned and gave a thumbs up in return and he nodded.

"Well, I guess I'd better leave you two to it then." Edging out of the room he smiled again and Blaine suddenly grabbed hold of his shoulder as he passed.

"Thank you." He said, sincerity in his eyes, his other hand now having slipped round my waist (which was incredibly distracting).

"No problem." Gabriel left and I dragged Blaine into the room, my emotions finally taking over.

* * *

As soon as the door was closed I slammed him up against the wall, making him make a shout that sounded surprised but was also a groan of pleasure as I smashed my lips to his. The taste of his tongue was still something I would never get tired of – the sweet bubblegum and coffee doing something to my libido that nothing else ever could. Wanting more I moved my hands away from his shoulders and began exploring – running them down his strong arms and underneath his blazer. Blaine groaned again and bucked his hips against mine, Holy crap.

"Kurt." He panted, breaking away so I growled and began kissing his neck instead. "God…"

"I missed you so bad." I said in reply, my voice hoarse with passion.

"I saw you yesterday."

"I know, but I missed _you_. I missed _this_." Suddenly I grabbed hold of his ass tightly – Blaine squealed but to my annoyance, broke away again.

"_Kurt_." I looked at him, annoyed. "I thought this was supposed to be _relaxing_." Suddenly understanding hit. Blushing, I pulled away and he laughed.

"I'm sorry – as much as I was enjoying that, I didn't think you'd want to lose sight of your objective." Damn him. Even when he was refusing sexy times he was still incredibly dapper.

"Yes, eh hum, relaxing…" Walking over to the dresser I began fiddling around with matches trying to light one of the candles that had gone out. My hands kept fumbling and I was getting annoyed, when suddenly I felt hands slip around my waist and a chin on my shoulder.

"What did you have planned?" Blaine smiled into my neck, his warm breath making me sigh and the tension drain from my shoulders.

"Well, I have a foot spa. And I thought I could do your nails – your cuticles are frightening." For a second I was apprehensive – not quite sure if my boyfriend was the kind of guy to enjoy pampering. Despite my prayers, not every gay guy in the world was like me.

"That sounds great."

* * *

Ten minutes later all that could be heard was the sound of bubbling water and sandpaper rubbing against keratin. It was quite nice not saying anything – I was concentrating on my task and Blaine had his eyes closed, his head resting back against the wall as we sat on the bed.

"Mmn." Suddenly he let out a murmur of pleasure and I felt my cheeks flush, not wanting to get excited again. "This is _heaven_." As I set down the nail file and reached over for the polish a lazy smile spread across my boyfriends face and he waved the hand I wasn't holding around to try and grab me.

"Hey, keep still, I'm not finished." If there was one part of Blaine I didn't find stunningly attractive, it was his hands. In fact I'd been gagging to work my magic on them ever since we'd started going out. The downside of being Mr Popular meant very dry skin.

"Where did you get this foot spa from?" He asked, still a drawling relaxed quality to his voice that felt like honey trickling down my back.

"I found it ages ago when I was clearing out one of the closets. Tried it out on Artem."

"It's _fabulous._" If Blaine's hands were bad – I dreaded to think what his feet would be like.

"I'm glad." Unscrewing the lid I coated the brush and stretched out his fingers. When the clear liquid touched them he wriggled and I laughed, gripping on tighter. "When I'm done with you you are going to have to most beautiful hands anyone has ever seen."

"What? Even more beautiful than yours?"

"Well, maybe not _that_ beautiful. But almost." We both laughed softly and I moved onto the next finger. I couldn't believe how long it had been since we'd spent time like this together. We lived five minutes for each other and yet we barely spent that amount of time in the same room. I couldn't even imagine how hard it was for Scott – now I sympathised with his lovesick whining much more. Having Blaine around me like this made me wonder how I survived being apart from him at all.

"This is _so_ much better than that Goddamn meeting." Blaine said with another lazy smile. I chuckled and nudged his leg with mine affectionately.

* * *

When the nail polish was dry and I was satisfied with my work we switched the foot spa off and lay together on the bed. Slowly my fingers rubbed circles in the muscles on Blaine's shoulders and he closed his eyes again, letting out more little satisfied murmurs.

"Kurt, if you ever decide not to be a fashion designer, then you should _definitely _work in a spa." I chuckled, moving along and working at the tight knots I felt. Jeez, he had a lot of tension.

"In fact," my boyfriend continued, "I think I might just hire you as my private masseuse."

"Oh you don't need to pay me." I replied softly. "I'd do it for free." Without saying anything more I leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

"Hey." Blaine said, sounding slightly surprised, "Is that what you do to _all_ your clients?"

"I thought you just hired me as your _private_ masseuse? And anyway, this is part of the massage."

"Oh really?" I kissed him again and felt him exhale deeply.

"Yes, really."

"I like this massage." Laughing I moved to lay on top of him and we kissed deeper, Blaine reaching his hands underneath my shirt so I giggled.

"Hey - isn't _that_ breaking the worker-client barrier?"

"I don't care. I hired you to do anything." He ran his new nails down my back and I groaned. "I still can't believe _Gabriel_ helped you set this up."

"Yeah, I know - weird huh?"

"He really seems to be making an effort to be good again."

"Mh hmm."

"Well I can't say I'm dissapointed - if it gets me _this_." I laughed.

"We should make it a weekly thing."

"I was thinking more daily - hourly even."

"Oh Gaga don't tempt me."

"I love you."

"I love you too." Silencing the room with kisses my thoughts spiralled off into blissful daydreams, where finals and House Cup meetings didn't exist and Blaine and I could be together twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Oh well - at least we had now. Thank the Lord for Gabriel.


	33. Race

_DUDES_

_I am SO SORRY for the huge gap in updates. To say I have been busy recently would be a bit of an understatement. I have literally had no time to do anything, in fact there is still a whole bunch of stuff I have yet to do._

_I have planned out the next 5 chapters of YDOYD (yes, there are plenty more to come, and it's going to get pretty full on from here on) so they are coming, they just may take a bit longer to be written than usual._

_I have also recently been having real problems with replying to reviews - is deciding to be a pile of wank and not letting me reply to them the normal way, so I've been having to send messages and some of you have that disabled so generally I'm a bit peed off about it. So if you didn't receive a reply to your review and are wondering why it is because of that. Stupid website._

_So, anyway, sorry again about the huge delay and to any of you that have been patiently waiting - hopefully this and future chapters will be worth the wait!_

_Liz xxx_

* * *

**Chapter 33 - Race**

"Seriously dude have I told you enough times already how awesome you are?" Gabriel laughed, taking his pen off the page again. We'd been sitting here for at least ten minutes and he hadn't written anything.

"I gather it went well then."

"Um – _yeah_." Another laugh. It was so nice to be able to talk to him like this – to have someone else to burble to. "It was amazing."

"Mission accomplished then." He went to return to his work, but I prevented him yet again, unable to stop.

"You know I didn't actually realised how much I loved Blaine until that night. I mean, of course I knew I _loved_ him – but spending nights like that together really puts things into perspective."

"Kurt…"

"And I know that he loves _me_ too, which is just incredible,"

"Kurt…"

"Oh my gosh I'm so glad you came up with that idea!"

"KURT!" I was jolted upright by Gabriel's shout – I looked at him confused before the realisation hit that he'd been trying to say something for a while.

"I'm sorry, I'm rambling, you don't want to hear-"

"-_Kurt_, seriously, _shut up_." I laughed, covering my mouth with my hand so I couldn't say any more. "I think I've met someone." Instantly the hand flew away.

"What? Oh my Gaga that's brilliant! What's his name? Tell me EVERYTHING!" Leaning forward I saw his cheeks flush crimson and his eyes look down at the table. "Gabriel you can't just tell me something like that and then not spill the goss! I'm _dying_ here!" Finally he spoke.

"His name's Eli. He works at the coffee shop down the road from here. I saw him a couple of times and thought he was cute but never did anything about it. Then yesterday after I said goodbye to you and Blaine I went there for a latte, and he asked me out." A squeal erupted from my mouth that made several of the students around us turn and shoot annoyed glances. Gabriel flushed a deeper red.

"_Gabriel!_ That's _fantastic_!" When are you going out?" My friend was about to reply when he suddenly looked upwards at something behind me. I went to enquire but then felt a tap on my shoulder and turned round to see Blaine, looking as dashing as ever.

"Oh hi Blaine Gabriel was just telling me that-"

"-Is it ok if I borrow Kurt for a couple of minutes?" I was surprised at the interruption, and also the fast pace Blaine was talking. Gabriel nodded – probably quite glad I wasn't going to embarrass him further and I stood up, feeling a hand take mine and lead me away.

* * *

"Blaine Gabriel has a boyfriend! His name's Eli." I chatted excitedly as we marched through the library at quite a brisk pace, for once not questioning why I had been taken away.

"That's great, good for him." I could see my boyfriend wasn't really in the mood to chat, so stayed silent until we reached the archive room, at which point he lead us inside and then shut the door behind.

"What are we-?" Before I had time to finish the question I was up against the wall, Blaine's tongue wedged in my mouth.

"Nngh."

"Do you remember this room?" Blaine asked when we eventually broke free, kissing up and down my neck as he spoke so my breathing escalated to way beyond library levels. "This is where I first realised that I loved you." The combination of his words, and the way his tongue was skilfully making its way across my collarbone, was making it incredibly hard to talk. So I just grunted and murmured instead.

"I love you Kurt. Oh _God_ I love you so much and I'm never going to let you go." At this Blaine's hands suddenly went down my trousers and I yelped out, pushing him away so no more noises would come out.

"_BLAINE!_" I certainly wasn't upset – far from it – I wanted nothing more than to take him right there and then. But we were in a _library_. A library full of students and with very thin walls. "_What are you doing_?" My boyfriend sighed.

"I'm sorry." He leant forward, resting his forehead on my collarbone but with his hands still wedged under my waistband – which wasn't as awkward as it sounded. "I just…I miss you." I laughed, making him look up. Oh Gaga he was beautiful.

"No, seriously! Things like yesterday – we never get to do stuff like that anymore. I hate that. And the way you did it all for me. I just want to be with you _every day."_ Suddenly lust took over again and Blaine attacked my lips. This time I relented and let him push me further against the wall, our bodies pressed together so his hands dug into my thighs.

"Blaine Anderson – are you horny?" I asked with a smile when we paused for breath.

"Maybe. er, yes. Is that a good thing?"

"_Hell yeah_."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later Blaine and I emerged from the archive room looking slightly more ruffled than when we'd entered. When I returned to the table Gabriel's eyebrows raised almost off his head, but thankfully he didn't ask any questions. I said we'd postpone our session until later and would see him at the athletics meet tonight, walking off with a grin the size of Texas plastered across my face.

* * *

The house cup tournament was coming to an end.

Whoever had organised it had done a great job of making it fair - with events that held the individual strengths of each house. As a result, with only the athletic event to go all of us were pretty much tied, Darwin just a few points ahead. The thought we could actually win something of huge importance was incredibly exciting - although to be honest I was just hoping for Darwin to lose so Xavier could have the smirk wiped off his face.

* * *

I met Scott with Artem, Stefan and Wes at the track - all of us ignoring the secular way everyone else had chosen to sit, but still wearing our house colours with pride. David was competing in the high jump and 100m for Wordsworth, so I was secretly cheering him on. Wes however had taken it to a whole new level, clapping like a proud parent every time his name was mentioned on the tannoy and pointing him out to anyone that would listen.

"Hey." I said cheerfully when I reached them, receiving smiles from Artem and Stefan and an excited wave from Wes. Scott however, seemed less enthusiastic.

"Where's Douchey McDoucheface?" He asked with a sarcastic look on his face.

"Gabriel is on his way." I replied pointedly, slightly upset by the cool reception but still sitting down next to him.

"Oh. Thought you two were practically joined at the hip now." I jerked my head left again.

"Listen - I don't know what your problem is with Gabriel, but I suggest you stop. What has he ever done to you anyway?"

"Nothing." Scott mumbled angrily. "Just taken away my best friend…" At this my annoyance disappeared. He didn't... Looking back at him I saw his gaze had dropped to the floor and he was playing with the already frayed end of his Wordsworth tie - something I knew he always did when he was stressed.

"_Oh Scott_." My best friend looked up and saw my smiling face, his cheeks immediately flushing with embarrassment. "Why do you think _anyone_ would take me away from you." He shrugged, still not looking my way so my heart ached even more. "You're an idiot. A _complete idiot_." I continued, turning to the side to face him. "But that's why I love you. Why else would I run around completing quite frankly _ridiculous_ pranks with you?" Finally a smile cracked across Scott's face. I wrapped my arms around his side and hugged him tightly.

"Look at all the friends you have. Obviously we're all crazy to hang out with you - but we do. Gabriel doesn't have _anyone_. And he wants to be my friend. So that's why I'm hanging out with him. Not because I got _tired of you_." I'd said the words quitely into his ear and received a hearty pat on the shoulder in thanks - as we drew away we were both laughing and balance was restored.

"I see why you hang out with Gabriel though." Wes suddenly said, bringing himself into the conversation now it was open again. My brows furrowed in confusion.

"Why?"

"Well - he's gotta have some pretty high profile contacts, what with his-" Suddenly the Wordsworthian stopped. I looked at him pointedly to continue, curiosity pricking like a spinning wheel, but he signalled behind me and I turned round to see Gabriel happily trotting towards us. _Darn it_.

* * *

"Hi!" The smile on his face made me sigh – I'd been wanting to press Wes for more information but knew it would have to wait until later. The every growing mystery of Gabriel's past would continue to be so for a while longer.

"I see you smartened yourself up," he said to me as he sat down in the space to my right. For a second I looked at him confused, before he grinned and I flushed a deep red.

"Oh, um, yeah, of course."

"_What is this?_" Scott leapt to attention, pushing all his amniosities aside in favour of getting the gossip. I groaned, not wanting to go into graphic detail but luckily was saved.

"Oh, it's nothing. Kurt was just stressing about finals. It really got to his hair." He laughed and I shot him a thank you look, before launching into more discussions about what he should wear for his date with Eli.

* * *

It seemed like the whole school had come for the meet – there wasn't a seat free in the stands. Because of the amount of events there would be several going on at a time, so we trained our eyes to the high jump area and waited for David to do his thing. Every few minutes or so Scott would glance towards the huge screens that dictated the results of the running events with a grin on his face – I didn't want to ask but felt it had something to do with a prank.

"Where are you going to go then?" Another question tumbled out of my lips and Gabriel laughed nervously, not used to all the attention.

"Um, I don't know, we haven't really decided."

"Oh! You should take him to that Italian restaurant! The one we went to!" Suddenly both of us paused. Despite our new friendship the subject of 'that date' hadn't really been broached until now. I suddenly felt incredibly awkward.

"Oh, um, sorry…" Mumbling an apology I shifted closer to Scott, but Gabriel laughed again.

"It's ok – that's a good idea. You liked it didn't you?"

"Yeah…"

"I'll make sure to ask him." Jeez. It was still hard to get used to this new guy in front of me.

"Hey! Dudes! Look!" Suddenly Scott elbowed me hard in the side – I was about to protest when he pointed towards the screen and I followed his hand to see a message flashing across it.

**Damien Dubrisque is a loser**

"Wow. That's original." I said, laughing as I spoke. Scott beamed, obviously pleased with his work.

"I had to bribe the tech students twenty bucks for them to do it. Totally worth it though." I shook my head, looking back towards Gabriel who was also trying to reign in laughter.

"Hey, wait…" Abruptly the excitement fell from my best friends voice – I glanced back and saw him now looking rather annoyed. Laughter had begun to ripple about the crowds and I returned my gaze to the screen to see the message had now changed.

**Nice try Macleod. Who is also a loser by the way.**

"Damn that Damien!" I saw Scott get out his phone, obviously now going to send a pretty irate text to his tech friends and thunked my hand against my forehead. Gaga almighty.

* * *

David was doing pretty well in the high jump. It looked like he might win, or at least come second. Not that anyone was paying any attention. Apart from a few devout fans every eye in the stands was trained solely to the screen, where a full-scale war had developed.

**Damien thinks he's cool. He's not**

**Scott thinks he's funny. He's not either**

**Damien enjoys playing with long sticks**

**Scott enjoys showering with other men**

**Damien cried during Titanic**

**Scott knows exactly which part I cried at because he's watched it so many times**

And so it went on. How the organisers hadn't managed to shut down the operation I'd never know. Every time a new message appeared everyone would cheer – Scott's expression changed from victorious to livid so many times he was beginning to look bipolar. It was certainly entertaining, but once the final event drew near a ceasefire was called and everyone settled down to watch the climax of weeks of competing.

* * *

As the points stood, Darwin were currently one point ahead of Wordsworth, with Wilde and Dahl tied for third place. Whoever won the last race, the 100m, would effectively be winning the competition for their house. Wes looked like he was going to puke.

"David's gonna be fine." I said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"This is so stressful. I don't think I can watch." As the Wordsworthian put his head between his legs I looked down at the runners, who were now limbering up for the race. David seemed pretty confident – from what I'd heard he was in with a good shot. Wade was running for Wilde and the other two runners from Dahl and Darwin were also wearing expensive looking sports clothing, of course finished off with their house colours.

"This is it." Gabriel muttered, mirroring my exact thoughts. All joking and fun aside, this is what every Dalton student had been working towards for the past few weeks. Even if we hadn't competed ourselves, we were a part of this. I suddenly got the urge to look for Blaine, who had been beside every Wordsworth athlete before their performance, supporting them every step of the way like he'd done with everyone. If there was anyone that deserved to win, it was him.

"Would the starters please take their positions." The voice of the race judge boomed out of the tannoy and hush descended across the stands, perhaps even quieter than it had been for the fencing. This was the whole school, on tenterhooks. Anticipation weighed in the air like a humid hum. I watched David slip his feet into the blocks, glancing down at the floor before slowly bringing his head up to look towards the finish line – his goal. What on earth was going through his head right now? I couldn't even begin to imagine.

"Set…" The runners rose to the starting position in unison. Every boy held their breath.

_BANG_

The starter gun flashed and they were off. Suddenly noise erupted, hundreds of voices cheering for their competitor, for their house. The four bodies whizzed down the track, arms pumping and feet smacking against the hard surface. Putting all loyalties aside I found myself on my feet shouting Wades name, my heart pounding as he inched closer and closer to the line. It was close, incredibly close – every runner was within touching distance of each other. David seemed to be edging away and then suddenly it was all over. All the runners crossed the line and for a second I had no idea who had won, who would be bringing the cup home to their house. My eyes flashed towards the screen, Damien and Scott's earlier pranks now completely forgotten in favour of seeing the points total change to the final result.

**1st Place David Wo**

**2nd Place Wade Wi**

**3rd Place Theo Dar**

**4th Place Drew Dah**

The results of the race appeared and cheers rang out from the Wordsworth camp. So David had won. Wes was ecstatic, jumping in the air and hugging a poor unsuspecting Stefan to oblivion. But what did that mean for the total? I waited with baited breath for the tallies to change, for the tech guys to complete their final (and unpaid) task. Suddenly they appeared.

**3rd Place – Dahl 134 points**

**2nd Place – Darwin 136 points**

** Wilde 136 points**

**1st Place – Wordsworth 137 points**

The Wordsworth stand erupted. Scott practically jumped on me, whooping so loud I felt like my ear drums were going to burst.

"WE DID IT! WE FREAKIN WON!" I laughed, jumping up and down with him and feeling his excitement reverberate through me like an electric shock. David had been mobbed by the other Wordsworth competitors – the Wilde ones looked downcast but were still happy to see their W team mates succeed. The only people not celebrating were the Ds. Suddenly a loud clattering sound echoed round the track and I looked to see Xavier having a major tantrum in the middle of the track, throwing chairs about and swearing at the top of his voice. Oh _awesome_.

"Somebody's not happy about losing." Gabriel said with a smirk – I clapped him on the back in agreement before another thought made me stop. Head Boys… _Blaine_.

* * *

"Gotta go"

Breaking away from my group without another word I pushed through the crowds of celebrating students and thundered down the steel steps of the stands. I didn't quite know where I was going so headed for the biggest crowd I could find and eventually somehow made my way onto the track, where David had been hoisted high into the air and was currently singing some kind of demented victory song, I was sure was probably a tradition I had yet to hear of. My eyes frantically scanning the mêlée I dodged flying arms until finally I spotted my boyfriend surrounded by ecstatic Wordsworthians, also being swamped like a God. As soon as our eyes met he instantly began to break towards me, me doing the same so we almost slow-mo ran towards each other. When we finally collided our bodies slammed together so I nearly fell over – I was about to squeal some kind of congratulations when lips met mine in a fierce kiss and I squealed in a different way, jumping up so my legs wrapped around Blaine's waist and he grabbed hold of them, twirling me around in celebration.

"YOU DID IT!" I exclaimed when we broke away, my grin stretching from ear to ear. Blaine looked like he was about to burst with pride, kissing me again before laughing.

"WE DID IT!" With the sound of the crowd reverberating around the ground like a wave, I wondered if I'd ever felt this happy at McKinley - if a school had ever been as united in joy as this. _So what_ Wilde had come joint second. _So what_ we'd lost.

I wouldn't have had it any other way.


	34. Grudge

**Chapter 34 - Grudge**

Nobody spoke when Xavier entered the choir room. Beforehand it had been a hive of chatter, everyone still excited from the House Cup finale – Wes of course talking about David and people congratulating Blaine, who was sitting slouched back in his chair with an arm draped round my shoulders and a relaxed grin on his face. (I was pretty sure he was probably hanging from the huge party that had gone on in Wordsworth that night, but didn't want to question when his fingers were stroking the material of my shirt in that way.) Now however, you could have heard a pin drop.

Xavier surveyed the group with eyes of steel. Losing obviously wasn't his thing – from what I'd heard he hadn't lost anything for at least three years. Stalking up to his position on the head table, which today seemed further away from each of the other three chairs, his footsteps echoed around the room and seemed to make the situation even more tense. He also seemed in less than good shape, but _certainly_ not from partying.

"Right…" Wes began, his voice apprehensive (in fact, several of the Darwin boys had gasped when the silence had been broken, obviously fearing an outburst from their leader) "I guess we should continue with the meeting…" A couple of murmurs broke out and Blaine shuffled closer towards me, our sides pressing together so I smiled.

"With the subject of Regionals I suggest we schedule more rehearsals over the next couple of weeks, with further extra sessions for our two soloists Steven and Blaine." Glancing at my boyfriend again my smile widened further. A few weeks ago auditions had been held for the solo spots and as expected Steven and Blaine had won, singing 'With Or Without You' and 'Raise Your Glass' respectively.

"I have an objection." Suddenly Xavier spoke out and the whole group froze again. Looking at his face I noticed a faint covering of stubble on his chin and wondered if he had forgotten to shave.

"You have an objection? To the rehearsals?" Wes asked, slightly (and not unsurprisingly) confused.

"No, to the soloists. I do not want Blaine singing for Dalton."

* * *

Immediately cries rang out from the group.

"WHAT?" To my surprise Steven stood up, his whole face indignant and shocked. "Why on _earth_ would you say that?"

"Blaine is simply not good enough. I will not have him ruin our chances of winning through his mediocrity." Oh HELL to the no. Rage whipping through me I went to stand up, to give Xavier a piece of my mind, but Blaine grabbed hold of my arm, shooting me a 'don't get involved look'.

"You can't stop him from competing just because Wordsworth won the house cup!" Another Warbler, this one from Dahl had stood up and at his words Xavier's expression ignited with rage.

"That has _nothing _to do with it. I know failures when I see them – _Blaine is a failure_."

"Well who should do the solo then?" Suddenly he calmed down, a smile spreading across his face.

"Me." I couldn't hold back any longer.

"NO FREAKIN WAY! You are selfish Xavier! You can't cope with the fact that _your _house lost and are using your _humiliation_ to take it out on Blaine, who has done nothing but bring The Warblers success and bring us together! You are _disgusting_ and I would rather DIE than see you up there performing that son-"

"-Oh shut up Kurt nobody wants to hear your pathetic whining about your boyfriend-"

"-YOU IMBECILE!" I leapt to my feet, Xavier doing the same, and for a split second I was coming up with fight strategies, perfectly ready for a physical battle with a guy twice my size. Thankfully though Blaine grabbed my hips to hold me back and Wes shouted out.

"XAVIER! KURT! STOP THIS NOW!"

Silence descended across the room. Both Xavier and I were fuming, steam practically rising from our ears, but slowly I sat down, instantly feeling Blaine beginning to comfort me, which I shrugged off. I couldn't believe he wasn't angry about this – Xavier was being _ridiculous_.

"Xavier, you didn't even audition for a Regional solo. You can't perform it." Wes had spoken again, now trying to resolve the situation more rationally. The Darwin Head Boy had also seemed to calm down slightly but still had a red tinge to his normally flawless features.

"That doesn't matter. You know what I can do."

"Of course we do. But that still doesn't mean it's in the rules."

"Are you saying you don't want my voice? The voice that won _two consecutive National titles_?" Instantly the anger rose inside me again. How was he getting away with this? Blaine's grip tightened on my arm and I glared at him.

"Of course not, but if you wanted a solo you should have auditioned. Blaine was voted in by the whole group."

"Who are obviously biased. I mean look, he clearly had his _boyfriend_ influence the whole of Wilde and whoever else he is chummy with – who knows he probably had the house tournament fixed-"

"HOW _DARE_ YOU!" I screamed out again, my voice becoming high pitched from the extreme rage streaming from my pores. Wes banged the hammer on the desk again to order silence.

"WARBLERS! This is _unacceptable_! Xavier you cannot go around making accusations like this, it is improper and deplorable."

"I am your leader! You all voted me in – I am leading!"

"No – we voted you in to lead a_ democracy_, not _dictate_. We can just as easily vote you out." That shut him up. Xavier stared down Wes like an anaconda about to attack his prey – I felt for the Wordsworthian but he stood his ground.

"Warblers, obviously we wouldn't be a democracy if we didn't take into consideration every opinion, no matter how extreme, so I suggest a vote. All those in favour of Xavier replacing Blaine as soloist for Regionals please raise your hand."

Astonishingly, not one Warbler raised their hand. I had been expecting at least one scared Darwin to relent, to bow down under the pressure of their dictator. But every hand stayed down.

"All those in favour of Blaine staying as a soloist." All the Warblers raised their arms slowly in the air. I felt like cheering. Blaine finally let go of my arm, a small smile spreading across his face as he surveyed the scene, and relaxed. I looked back at Xavier and saw the exact opposite. Pure rage.

"CORRUPT! THIS WHOLE CLUB IS CORRUPT! I WILL NOT ASSOCIATE MYSELF WITH SUCH HYPOCRISY!" Practically stewing in his own words the Darwin Head Boy leapt to his feet, storming out of the room with such a noise it was like a five year old kicking off at a Wal-Mart. Slamming the door behind him we heard the sound of more chairs being thrown around outside, and then a brief silence descended across the room. A silence followed by a steady trickle of giggles, then full blown laughter.

* * *

"Hey, hey." Wes spoke out as the laughs begun to get louder, people beginning to talk and replay the scene that had just occurred to each other. "This is not a funny situation. Xavier is obviously very upset at the moment, but we really do need him on the team."

"Good riddance I say." I said loudly, not able to fully contain my sheer delight in seeing my nemesis completely shamed by his peers. Many voices around me agreed and Wes rolled his eyes, shooting me a look that said 'thanks a lot Kurt.'

"Sorry. But you can't deny what he said was insulting." Suddenly I looked towards Blaine and stopped. Throughout all this nobody had even thought to ask what he'd thought. I'd been so wrapped up in protecting him that I hadn't even considered what he might be thinking.

"Oh Gaga, I'm so sorry," I said hurriedly, taking his hand in mine, "are you ok?" My boyfriend smiled.

"I really thought you were going to hit him." He replied. I laughed.

"I was."

"He's like twice your size."

"I could have taken him. What he said was disgusting."

"His pride's been hurt. I know what it's like to lose the thing you care most about in the world." Running a finger along my collarbone so I inhaled loudly Blaine smiled, that soft serene smile that could take any situation, no matter how infuriating or intense, and make it ok.

"But you stood up for me. I appreciate that. I love you."

"I love you too." Wes attempted to organise the group again and I smiled, Xavier's tantrum far behind me.

* * *

"Emergency prank meeting is in session." Scott spoke solemnly, before taking a huge bite of his slice of pizza and ruining the image. All five of our bodies were crammed into Stefan and Artem's room, chosen because Scott apparently wanted a 'neutral setting' that wouldn't be able to be tracked or bugged by Damien. For this reason the two room occupants were present, as well as me and Scott, and also Gabriel, who had offered his services after hearing of the crisis we were facing.

"Hey, he's an extra pair of hands – you can't argue with that." I'd muttered under my breath as we'd both entered – Scott had seemed reticent at first but I'd given him a pointed look to remind him of our athletics meet conversation and eventually he'd relented, accepting the Wildeian into the group and practically making his day.

"Is this really necessary? Surely we don't need a full cloak and dagger operation – we just come up with the pranks and do them?" My question received a glare that I hadn't expected, something that had me wondering if I'd accidentally insulted the Buckeyes or something.

"_Kurt_. This is _serious_. I thought you would have realised this by now." Stifling a laugh I nodded, before taking a significantly smaller bite of my own pizza. Gabriel was nodding along with Scott like he was his new king and it was terribly amusing.

"So. Operation Athletics Screen was a partial success – I must remember next time to never trust tech guys. Damien obviously already has them under his thumb. Our next prank has to be soon and it has to be BIG. We need to strike hard to show we're still in the game. Any ideas?" Offering the question out to the rest of us Scott looked on expectantly, obviously expecting a plethora of amazing schemes to come his way. Artem instantly looked to me for help. Stefan just looked confused.

"Oh come _on_ guys! You must have _something_!"

"We could attack Dahl itself – go for their home." Suddenly Gabriel spoke – he seemed serious and had seemingly been coming up with his idea for quite a while. Scott's eyebrows raised.

"Interesting. What do you suggest?"

"Um, we could deface the picture outside? That would cause a stir."

"And probably get us in trouble with Cox." My voice of reason was initially received with distain, before the logistics of it set in.

"Oh yeah, good point. Not a good option. But I like the idea of a Dahl attack. Maybe the toilets or something."

"Yeah! Flood them!"

"Eew. Gross." As a new partnership was formed between Scott and Gabriel I glanced around the room again, looking wistfully as the side that had once been mine, and was now covered with all of Stefan's things. I did miss having a roommate sometimes, although the privacy had helped a _lot_ whenever Blaine had decided to pay me a visit. Stefan had really grown as a person and him and Artem were barely seen apart – he'd even managed to secure a date with one of Ashley's St Jades friends.

* * *

I was about to start up a conversation with them that didn't involve pranking when suddenly my phone buzzed angrily.

"Hi Blaine, what's up?" I answered happily, glad for the distraction.

"Kurt, where are you?" Instantly my stomach dropped.

"In Artem's room. What's wrong?"

"I'm just down the hall. One second." The line went dead and I brought my hand down nervously, worry ripping through me.

"Kurt?" Gabriel had stopped talking and was now looking at me, equally nervous. Before I had a chance to explain the door flew open and Blaine stood in front of us, his face a mixture of anger and shock.

"Dude! What happened?" Scott asked.

"My car. _Somebody trashed my car_."


	35. Trashed

_I just wanna say - there has been a thing going round about people saying they hate it when Kurt says 'Oh my Gaga'. I orginally included this in my fic through a suggestion by a reader, who quite rightfully stated that Kurt isn't religious, so probably wouldn't use oh my God. I have also had many positive comments about this. So it is staying :D_

_Also thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter guys. You rule! But if you want a reply then turn on your private messaging! :D_

_Liz xxx_

* * *

**Chapter 35 - Trashed**

The scene was horrifying. Blaine's Corvette was barely unrecognisable – someone had thrown white paint all over the bonnet and the windows were smashed. I let out a loud gasp and grabbed hold of my boyfriend's arm, him still reeling from the original shock.

"How could anyone _do _this?" Gabriel said, disbelief in his tone. "Did they catch it on the cameras?"

"No. I checked. There was a glitch, so they have no idea who did it." For a second nobody said anything else. This was terrible. Suddenly Scott walked towards one of the wheels, glass crunching under his feet.

"Hey, did you see this?" Reaching down he swiped up a small piece of paper and brought it over, brushing it free of any debris. All of us craned to look at the note.

**_You are going to pay._**

"Pay for what?" Artem asked the question but nobody answered. Blaine had nothing _to_ pay for.

"Is there anyone you can think of that might want to do this? Something someone else did connected to you or something?" Gabriel asked, putting his thinking hat back on. Blaine shook his head, with me following suit, before suddenly, I stopped.

* * *

Horror ripped through me. Pure unadulterated horror.

"_Oh no_."

"Kurt? Kurt what's wrong?" My face was white. Blaine looked concerned, holding me tightly so I wouldn't collapse. It couldn't be…

"You don't think…Scott…" I couldn't even bring myself to say it – that the cause of this may have been from me. All of a sudden my best friend realised.

"_No_. He wouldn't do that. _NO_."

"_Will someone tell me what's going on_?" I shuddered, self-hatred ripping through me and built myself up to reply.

"We think, this might be Damien Dubrisque." Blaine looked confused.

"Damien? What on earth does he have to do with this?"

"Um…we think it might be, a prank." As his face dropped my heart sank.

"A PRANK? Are you SERIOUS? There are hundreds of dollars worth of damage to this car! All because I'm Scott's _Head Boy_?"

"No, not because of that - because you're _my boyfriend_."

I cowered, waiting for the wave to hit.

"_What_."

"Wait – Blaine didn't _know_ about this?" A wince shot through me at Gabriel's words – wishing to every God in the world that I'd not kept this a secret.

"I knew about the prank war – but not that _Kurt_ was involved! How could you not tell me this?" Blaine looked hurt, his brow creasing together in that way that made me want to cry – the way I'd seen him look when we'd had our argument before Christmas.

"I didn't think you needed to know – you already had so much on – I didn't want to worry you…"

"When did you decide what I do and don't need to know? I'm your _boyfriend_ – you should tell me _everything_!"

"I know! I'm so sorry!"

"Why would you even get _involved _with something like this? It's just not you!"

"I, I don't know. I just wanted to help Scott."

"It's not Kurt's fault – I got him into this. If there's anyone to blame it should be me." Scott suddenly said, stepping forward to take the wrap. "I never thought it would get this bad – Damien's never done anything like this before. I'm so sorry."

"Well, sorry won't pay for the damage to my car." Wiping away angry tears Blaine stalked off, leaving the rest of us in stunned silence and me fighting back tears of my own.

"Don't cry Kurt." Gabriel said, pulling me into a hug so I dug my face into his shoulder. "Blaine's just upset – he'll come around."

"I don't understand!" I replied, my voice filled with confusion and anguish. "_Why_ would Damien do something like this? I didn't do _anything_ to him! There was no reason to get Blaine involved."

"Well, all I can say is that he's totally gonna get it now." Scott balled up the note, clenching his fists and kicking away a stray piece of glass. I had to sort this out. I had to make it right.

* * *

Half an hour later I was making my way towards Dahl. I'd never actually strayed this far up the campus before – never really needed to. Now however, I was on a mission. The building was pretty much the same as all the others, although I noticed with slight apprehension that there seemed to be large chunks taken out of some of the statues and carvings that adorned the walls – probably the casualties of all the pranks that had been carried out there. Marching through the main door I stomped my feet loudly, before stopping a few feet into the main corridor when I realised I had no idea where I was actually going. I didn't know where Damien's room was, or if he even lived on campus (that could be embarrassing). I was about to begin strategising when suddenly a face appeared from one of the doors opening out into the corridor. It was Richard.

"Oh, hi Kurt." The Warbler recognised me instantly, smiling and coming out of the doorway towards me. "What brings you to Dahl?"

"I need to speak to Damien." I said, not wanting to get distracted by pleasantries. "It's important." At the mention of the fencer's name, Richard's face darkened.

"You want to talk to Damien? Is this about the prank war?" Oh Gaga – _everyone_ had known about this but Blaine. The guilty pang in my gut got stronger.

"Maybe."

"Well. I'm not sure if he's here. You can check his room upstairs if you like. It's number thirteen." Oh how ironic.

"Thanks." Smiling in gratitude but not staying to chat, I turned round and began my ascent up the winding stairs, almost identical to Wilde's but again slightly more aged and weathered. I wondered how many pranks had gone down here and how many Richard, or Damien for that matter, had been a part of.

* * *

When I reached the first floor corridor there were a few Dahl students milling about, discussing some project they'd been doing. Upon my arrival they all turned to look at me, their eyes widening when they saw my Wilde tie. It wasn't uncommon for W students and D students to frequent their own brother houses – but for the two letters to mix was something of a scandal. Ignoring their stares I briskly walked past until I reached room number thirteen. There were two names on the door – one that I'd never seen before and the other I recognised very well

_D. Dubrisque_

Taking a deep breath, I held out my hand and rapped sharply three times on the wood. Well he obviously couldn't be that powerful or influential if he still had to share a room. At least I had that up on him. After a few seconds of waiting the door slowly opened, but only partially – it being held back by a security chain.

"Name and purpose." A voice rang out, heavily tinged with Latino tones. I went temporarily quiet, surprised by the strangeness, but eventually found my voice.

"Kurt Hummel. I'm here to see Damien."

"Does he know you are coming?" I laughed.

"No. He doesn't." Who was this guy? Damien's doorman? Surely if he was in the room he would be able to hear all we were saying. This was a very odd setup indeed…

"Normally Damien doesn't see people unless they've specified to him beforehand." Another laugh escaped from my lips, this one incredulous. What on earth?

"Well this is me specifying now – _I want to see him_. It's about the prank war with Scott Macleod." Suddenly something seemed to click, a buzzword that Latino doorman understood. I heard the sound of chains rustling and then slowly the door was opened fully. When I could see the doorman fully I realised that he was in fact a boy I'd seen in a couple of my Spanish classes. He looked at me cautiously, almost as if he was surveying me for concealed weapons, before nodding his head swiftly.

"Ok. You can see him." I looked around the room expecting to see the Dahl celebrity perched on the end of a bed, a grin stretching across his face from making me work for nothing. There was nobody else in the room. Doorman's things were scattered around the room, but there was only one bed, the rest of the space taken up by huge cabinets that looked to be filled with all kinds of weird and mysterious things. My confusion grew.

"Er, where is he?" Doorman smiled.

"Through here." Leaning in front of me he twisted the handle of a door that if I hadn't looked closely at, would have been completely camouflaged into the wall, opening it to reveal a whole new room, in fact the room next door, which I hadn't seen a door to in the corridor. Holy hell. Not only did Damien have his own room, he had another junior to police who came into it. _That_ was power.

* * *

As soon as I stepped into the room I was immediately hit with the strong smell of incense – it clouded the room and made the air heavy and thick. Wafting the area surrounding my face I coughed and strained my eyes to see Damien perched on the end of his bed, legs crossed and his palms resting on his thighs facing upwards, almost like he was meditating. Above him on the wall was what looked like a tigers head, mounted onto a plaque. The sight shocked me and I jumped back so my leg clattered into a very large bong.

"Hello Kurt." I'd been about to exclaim something (quite frankly this was ridiculous – I'd never seen anything like it.) when suddenly Damien spoke, still with his back to me. I imagined he'd heard my conversation with doorman but it was still unnerving. Turning round on the bed with his legs still crossed I saw he had a pair of orange headphones in, which he delicately plucked out of his ears before tossing them nonchalantly onto his pillow.

"What brings you here?" It was then I was brought back to reality. With all the smoke and mirrors I'd almost completely forgotten my reason for coming. Now it was mentioned though, the image of Blaine's pained face and the pang in my gut returned. My face hardened.

"We need to talk. About the prank war." A smile spread across Damien's face.

"Conceding already? I thought Scott would have had the decency to come to me himself."

"No." I replied, trying to keep my voice as cold and commanding as possible. "This is about what you did to Blaine. It was uncalled for."

"Oh. Blaine? I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." Getting up Damien jumped over to where I was standing by the door and fished the bong out from behind my legs. He wandered over to a chest of drawers and picked out a packet of shisha, dropping the contents into the dish.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Just because I'm in this prank war now doesn't mean you have to involve him. He didn't do anything." Damien looked up – I saw the flash in his eyes – that wild streak that always made him seem dangerous, unstable.

"I'm sorry – I know you seem to think I have an involvement in whatever it is you're talking about, but I have done nothing to Blaine." Oh _come on_.

"Fine. If you want to be picky, you got Oscar and Phoenix to do it. However you put it you still had a part."

"What is it exactly that I've supposed to have done?" Flicking open a lighter he lit the shisha and I watched the smoke twirl through the air. How on earth the smoke alarms hadn't been set off I had no idea.

"You trashed Blaine's car. _Completely_ trashed it. Hundreds of dollars worth of damage. Do you call that a prank?" To my complete surprise, the Dahl student's eyes widened.

"No, I do not. His car was trashed?"

"Windows smashed, paint thrown all over the exterior. There was a note placed in the windscreen. I thought that was your thing." Suddenly my conviction didn't seem so certain. There was something off about Damien's reaction – either he was an extremely good actor or he really had had nothing to do with it.

"Yes, that is indeed 'my thing'. But I can assure you that damage of personal property to that magnitude has never been my style. Especially when, as you said yourself, Blaine is not a part of this war." Placing his face in the smoke and inhaling deeply for a moment our conversation was broken – for a split second I had time to think. If Damien hadn't been a part of this stunt – something I was beginning to believe was actually true – then who had?

"So if I didn't, then who did?" Emerging from the smoke I jerked in surprise at Damien's response, wondering if he could somehow read minds too.

"Well, er…" I dithered. I'd never even thought it _could_ have been anyone else.

"I can assure you I will assist you however you please to catch this culprit. Extreme and malicious vandalism is not something that should be tolerated at Dalton. I can inform Cox for you too if you like." Oh Gaga. I didn't want to even imagine what kind of freaky messed up relationship he had with our head.

"Um, no, that's ok," I hurriedly replied, "Blaine has already reported it. But…thanks." With that I realised I had no further need to be in the room. To be honest the atmosphere was beginning to make me feel uneasy and I felt relief rush through me when Damien bowed his head, declaring that our meeting was over.

"I look forward to our next encounter." He said ominously, before I turned and exited the room as quickly as possible.

* * *

Once in the safety of the corridor I took several deep breaths, trying to rid my lungs of the smoky taste of shisha and calm down my heart rate. What on earth had just happened? Well – we knew now that Damien and he motley team of prankers had had nothing to do with it. So who had?

* * *

"Thanks for doing this guys." I looked up from the part of the bonnet I had been scrubbing and smiled sympathetically. I'd gone and told Blaine about my discovery at Dahl along with a large medium drip and some chocolates and he'd forgiven me for my lying, on the condition I promised never to keep anything like that from him ever again. We were now trying to desperately clean his car (along with Gabriel who had happened to be around and offered his services) and forget this had ever happened. The car would have to be repainted (something that upset Blaine the most, as it would take away the vintage aspect he'd loved so much about it) but Gabriel had promised to get a friend of his to give us discount.

"No problem." I shot a look of thanks over to Gabriel, wondering how I'd ever survived with him not being there to lend a helping hand or keep me positive and sighed. Despite everyone else being optimistic I was still focused on finding the culprit. And tearing his brains out.

"Wow, having car trouble Blaine?" Suddenly a voice boomed out from a few metres away, making all of us stop what we were doing and look up. Xavier stood staring at us, surrounded by Darwin seniors and brandishing a cup of coffee in his hand. There was a smirk on his face, one that stretched right for ear to ear and showed off his shiny white teeth.

"Ooh, that's gotta sting." He whistled, turning to his friends and laughing along with them. Gaga he was such an asshole. I oughta… Suddenly it clicked.

* * *

"_YOU_!" The word shot from my mouth like a bullet. Xavier turned round abruptly but I was already halfway towards him, brandishing my can of white spirit like a weapon. Without realising it my arm lashed out and I flung the coffee out of his hand, sending it flying through the air and splashing onto the parking lot floor several feet away.

"Woah! What's your problem?" Xavier shouted, the temper I was now so used to seeing flaring up again. My rage however towered over it.

"IT WAS _YOU_! _YOU _DID THIS! _YOU COWARD_!" Again without even realising what I was doing I lunged towards him – Xavier stepped back but several of his friends moved forward and one sent a punch into my gut so I buckled over in pain.

"HEY!" I heard Gabriel's voice ring out and he rushed over to grab hold of me. I clutched my stomach but still tried to fight free of him, my thoughts only on reaching Xavier and destroying him.

"You don't even think do you? You just do whatever you want! I hope you rot in hell!" I felt bile in my mouth as I realised my voice was wavering, the anger and pain draining me. Xavier was now looking at me with fear in his eyes, like he thought I was crazy. I probably was.

"Xavier." Suddenly I saw Blaine walking over towards the Darwin Head Boy. Instantly I jerked out to stop him but Gabriel's grip was firm and he held me back.

"I'm sorry, Kurt shouldn't have acted like that." He said calmly, holding up his hands to show he didn't want to fight. "But your friend shouldn't have punched him either." I saw Xavier jerk his head towards the boy that had hit me and send him a glare. Yeah, as if he hadn't planned that all along. The guy hated my guts.

"I have to ask though – did you do this? Did you do this to my car?" I trained my eyes on my nemesis – searching for any flicker, any sign that he was guilty so I could break free of Gabriel and beat him to death.

"No! No man I swear! I think it's funny but I would never do that! Do you think I'm crazy? Cox would expel me!" Xavier replied hurriedly, as if he somehow realised the severity of the situation. For the first time he looked scared. Blaine stared at him for another couple of seconds, searching like me for anything that would tell him the Head Boy was lying. Then, slowly, he stepped away.

"Well I suggest you leave now then."

"Yeah. We will do. And keep your boyfriend on a leash, he is freakin crazy." Now he knew he was in the clear the old Xavier returned – he shot me a look and I bared my teeth at him, making his face briefly tremble and satisfaction pool in my gut. Well, at least I had him scared of me now. As the Darwin group swiftly walked away Gabriel finally loosened his grip and my legs gave way underneath me. Blaine rushed over to catch me as I fell forward and I threw my arms around him.

"Kurt! What were you doing?" He asked, half angry half relieved that I was ok. I buried my head into his shoulder, glad to breathe in musky scent of his skin again.

"I thought it was him. I was gonna kill him."

"_I know!_ But are you ok?" Pulling me away from him he looked down at my stomach and I winced at the movement.

"Yeah, just a bit sore."

"Oh God. I'm so sorry." Pulling me in again I felt kisses being pressed to the top of my head and my ears and sighed. So it wasn't Damien. And it wasn't Xavier. The mystery continued…


	36. Stink

**Chapter 36 - Stink**

Two days later and I was still reeling from my encounter with Xavier. His friend had punched hard and I had a nice purple bruise on my stomach to show for it. Luckily though the sight of it always made Blaine very affectionate, so I made a habit of lifting my arms up to reveal it as much as I could when we were alone. We were making a joke out of something very serious, but there were no more leads on who the vandal could be – so the case had pretty much been lost. Blaine had sent off his car to be fixed and Cox was on the lookout, that was about as much that could be done.

* * *

Blaine and I were studying in his room. I say studying – we were on the bed and I was nestled in his lap, both of us lazily looking at textbooks.

"Man, I do not want to be a senior." I said, glancing at the chemistry equations he was trying to memorise. "Do you think I can just skip it?"

"You have to get through junior year first." Blaine replied, smiling and nuzzling his nose into my cheek.

"_Hey_." I tried to move away but he ran his finger up my arm and I froze.

"Sorry, I know you're gonna pass. You barely need to revise." He said into my ear. I was trying to decide whether to still be annoyed or utterly consumed with lust.

"Neither do you." I replied, my voice slightly shaky. I could feel his hand on my shoulder and just the touch was driving me crazy.

"Then why are we?" Just like that Blaine dropped his textbook on the bed, flipping himself over so he was on top of me and kissing me deeply. I let out a squeal of surprise before joining in, and was just beginning to explore the inside of his mouth with my tongue when he went to grab my waist and accidentally banged against my bruise.

"Ow!" Breaking away I yelped out in pain – something I immediately regretted as Blaine's face dropped and he backed away.

"Oh, oh God I'm sorry, are you hurt?" The concern in his voice was heartbreaking, I held out my arms but he stayed away, still wanting confirmation.

"I'm fine. It was an accident." I patted my stomach, trying desperately not to wince and Blaine seemed to relax. Moving back over towards him I kissed him softly on the lips.

"Maybe if I go on top?" At this he smiled, lying down on the bed so I could climb on top of him. When was I ever going to get tired of how gentlemanly he was? And how unbelievably gorgeous…

* * *

Once again we were just getting into the swing of things when suddenly a rather unpleasant scent wafted into the room.

"Ergh? Can you smell that?" I asked, pulling away. Blaine scowled.

"Kurt, shut up." He pulled me down again but after one kiss I stopped.

"No seriously, something smells really bad."

"Are you trying to get me to study again?" I'd sat up, now getting a full whiff of the odour and Blaine suddenly seemed to smell it too, rising with me.

"Eew. What _is_ that?" Suddenly somebody knocked loudly on the door. I untangled myself from Blaine so he could get up and walked behind him as he answered it. As soon as the door was opened we were hit with a full blast of the smell and both covered our mouths in disgust.

"Oh my God." Scott was in front of us, a towel over the bottom half of his face and his posture bent over like he was trying not to retch.

"Stnk bmm" He said, his voice muffled by the fabric.

"What?" Blaine asked, his voice also muffled. Scott winced, before briefly taking the safety blanket away.

"STINK BOMB!"

* * *

The whole of Wordsworth had to be evacuated. Boys were streaming out, all with various things over their mouths and noses, and some immediately ran over to Wilde to be sick. When Blaine, Scott and I reached the entrance we breathed in the clean air like we'd been drowning.

"Man, that was disgusting – a pipe must have burst or something." I said once I'd cleared my lungs. Scott dropped his towel on the floor and looked at me with distain.

"_Kurt_." Pointing to a group of Wordsworthians that had gathered a few feet away I looked at them, and then the direction all their eyes were pointed. Hanging above the entrance to Wordsworth, something I had somehow managed to miss on my exit, was a huge banner. A banner that read.

**That is not how we prank. THIS is how we prank.**

"Marc Jacobs." I said, shaking my head. Damien was back.

* * *

"Silence please." A meeting had been called in the main hall for all the occupants of Wordsworth. It was several hours after the stink bomb incident but the school was still rife with talk about it - I could imagine Damien was ecstatic. I'd been summoned to come along too because I'd been in the building at the time, but was also extremely curious to see how Cox would react to it.

"Students of Wordsworth. I understand you have all become victims of a prank, which is part of the war that has been occurring over the past few weeks." Our head teacher said, his voice echoing out across the room. Immediately everyone turned to look at Scott – his cheeks flushed red beside me but he still seemed rather pleased. If Cox was aware of it he'd obviously done something right.

"Obviously this is a serious prank that affects the whole of the house, but at the moment we have no way of disciplining anybody for it." Cries rang out through the hall.

"It was Damien! Anybody with a brain can see that!" Wes called out, standing up. Cox looked at him sternly before replying.

"I understand you may have your theories Mr Montgomery, but at the moment we have no proof as to the culprit of this crime. Needless to say when they are caught they will be punished accordingly." More murmurs rang out but Cox ignored them. Either Damien was very good at covering his tracks, or he had some messed up deal that meant he was protected. Both options didn't bear thinking about.

"Anyway – the problem of most importance at the moment is finding a home for all of you. As you know Wordsworth is currently being cleaned by our staff, but it will be at least a day before it is inhabitable again." What? I turned to look at Blaine who seemed confused. Was is really that bad?

"Whilst your belongings are all safe and secure, we think it would be best if you refrain from entering the building until it has been okayed by our team. Those of you that can return home are granted this permission for tonight." Immediately students began discussing their plans. Wes didn't live far away and there was space in his car for David to come too. Blaine would be able to get back and… Wait…

"Will you be able to get home?" I turned to Blaine and saw him thinking the same thing. His car was still being fixed so there was no way he could drive.

"I don't think so. My parents are on a business trip in Dubai."

"Do you have space Wes?" The Wordsworthian shook his head.

"Sorry, I just filled up my last seat." Darn it.

"What about you Scott?" Suddenly I remembered my other friend. He lived in New York – there was no way he would be able to go anywhere.

"I dunno. I guess I'll just crash on a buddies floor or something." It was then that inspiration hit.

"Hey! You guys can stay with me!" Scott raised his eyebrow.

"Hmm?"

"Well I have my own room, there's space for Blaine in my bed. And you can sleep on my floor like you said. Obviously with some cushions or something." It was brilliant. I looked over at Blaine, who seemed pretty taken on the idea (I'm sure he was just focusing on the words 'Blaine' and 'my bed') and then back at Scott, who didn't know how to react. Without waiting for anyone to say anything I ran over to Cox, who was currently in conversation with another student.

* * *

"Mr Cox. " I said once he had finished, a hopeful smile on my face. "My name is Kurt Hummel, I'm a student at Wilde. I would like to offer my room to two of the Wordsworth students for tonight." Cox's eyebrows raised.

"Oh, that's very kind of you Kurt. Do you have a spare bed?"

"Um, kind of. Scott can sleep on my floor too." I guessed it wouldn't be too wise to mention the fact that my other guest would, in fact, be sharing my 'spare bed'. "I'm sure other Wilde students would also be happy to help out too." At this Cox nodded. I suppose he couldn't argue with people offering aid. And I knew there were spare beds in Wilde.

"Excuse me." Clapping his hands he brought the congregation to attention again. "I have just talked with a student from Wilde and he said they would be happy to house any students struggling to get home." Cheers rang out, especially when people saw it was me Cox had been talking to and I grinned, making my way back to Scott and Blaine.

"Looks like we're roomies for tonight!" I said with a smile. Blaine put his arm round me and Scott slapped me on the back. Well this was going to be a fun evening.

* * *

"Hurry up Scott!" Blaine and I banged on the closet door – Scott had been in there for five minutes and we were beginning to get worried. "What are you doing in there?" Abruptly the door opened and Blaine and I sprang back. Scott walked into the room wearing the Spiderman pyjamas he'd adorned on his visit to Lima and Blaine stifled a giggle.

"What? You dissing the pjs?"

"Of course not."

"Were you planning an expedition to Mars in there or something?" I asked with a smile. Scott glared at me.

"No. You just have a lot of clothes. I was intrigued."

"Probably trying them on." Blaine commented, receiving a slap on his shoulder from both of us (Scott's slightly more violent than mine).

"Right, see you in a minute." Grabbing my own pyjamas I stepped in the closet myself and closed to the door. To be honest Blaine and I could have got changed together, but I didn't want to freak Scott out and he certainly didn't want to see me in my boxers.

* * *

As I began unbuttoning my trousers I heard Blaine clear his throat awkwardly and realised this would probably be worth listening to.

"So…Spiderman eh?" With my ear pressed to the door I stopped myself from laughing.

"Yup. Best superhero of all time. Well apart from Superman. And Batman."

"What? Batman isn't a superhero!" Oh dear. From the gasp I heard next I guessed Blaine had put his foot in it.

"How can you say that? He is AWESOME!"

"I'm not denying his awesomeness, not at all. But all the other superheroes get their powers naturally or by some genetic mutation. Bruce Wayne buys his. In my opinion that makes him different." From the silence that followed I guess Scott was in thought. It was amazing to think that a few months ago these two hated each other's guts. The fact that that had been due to Blaine's feelings for me though hadn't been apparent at the time.

"You have a point." Wow. I steadied myself against the door, not quite able to believe that Scott had conceded. And about superheroes no less.

"But Batman is still awesome."

"Oh yeah, of course."

"Sweet." I giggled, slipping my uniform off and my pyjamas on before opening the door again.

* * *

"Kurt?" Oh Gaga.

"Kurt?"

"What?"

"Are you still awake?"

"Scott, the lights are still on." I sat up, annoyed. Scott was splayed across the makeshift mattress I'd created out of cushions and clothing in the most awkward way possible – he'd been trying to find a suitable position for the past twenty minutes.

"I dunno, you could still be asleep."

"Well I'm not."

"Ok."

"Honestly…" Flopping back down I came face to face with Blaine and smiled. How did he always look so beautiful? We were in our slobbiest clothes, our hair was ruffled by the pillows, but right now more than ever all I wanted to do was kiss his brains out.

"Hi." The word escaped from his lips in a whisper, along with a blissful smile that made my whole body turn to jelly.

"Hi." I whispered back. Blaine shuffled in closer towards me so our chests pressed together, one of his legs intertwining with mine. I felt his toes curl against my calf and shivered with pleasure.

"You are beautiful." He whispered again, the sound of his voice reverberating against my soul. I felt a hand move through the sheets to surface and trace the curve of my face, right from the top of my head along my temple and down my jaw to the end of my chin. The fingers then moved to trace my lips – I playfully opened them so one slipped in and sucked it gently – Blaine chuckled and the look in his eyes was like seeing the sun for the first time.

"I love you." I said, letting the finger go as I whispered. Instead of replying my boyfriend simply moved those several inches closely and kissed me – a slow sensual kiss that held all the meaning it needed.

"Kurt?" I sighed loudly

"I'm not asleep Scott!"

"But you're quiet."

"Yes, I can be quiet."

"You and Blaine aren't doing anything are you? Oh GOD you're doing stuff!" I heard him begin to flail around in panic and laughed, sitting up.

"_Scott_." My best friend looked at me and seemed relieved my face wasn't covered in jizz or something. "Do you _really_ think we would do anything like that with you in the room?" He paused.

"Well…no."

"_Exactly._"

"Also, if we _were_ doing stuff it would be a lot louder." Blaine added with a smile, resting his chin on my shoulder and I slapped him lightly on the side, letting out an indignant shout.

"Blaine!"

"What? It's true!"

"He's right, it's true." Oh Gaga. My two best friends were conspiring against me. Looking back and forth between them, I was suddenly hit with a wave of happiness.

"I'm so happy right now." I said. "To have you two, here. You're my best friends."

"Of course." Scott replied happily. "But I'm the _best_ friend." Blaine furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yeah. But I'm the _boyfriend_. That counts as a best friend too."

"Mmn hmm. _Boy_friend, _bes_t friend. Two different words."

"Ok ok guys, stop fighting." I interrupted, half laughing. The boys turned to look at me. "I love you both. Obviously in different ways, but, I couldn't survive without either of you." I smiled, reaching over to grab Scott's hand and squeeze it, whilst doing the same to Blaine's with my other. They smiled.

"Awesome. And I just wanna say I think you two are perfect for each other. I hope you get married and all that crap, adopt some babies." Blaine and I laughed, looking at each other whilst Scott sat there, wondering what he had said that was so funny.

"I don't think we're quite at that stage yet." Blaine said, twining his arm around my waist as he spoke to his fellow Wordsworthian. "But when we do I'll let you know."

"I better be the best man." I tsked dramatically.

"Oh, _of course_. I'm not stupid."

"Wicked." We laughed, before I glanced at the time, reached over to my bedside lamp and switched it off.

* * *

When I awoke the sunlight was beginning to seep its way through the curtains, casting a dim glow over the room. I opened my eyes and came face to face with Blaine's – still closed as he slept. Our bodies were wrapped round each other so tightly that his nose was almost touching mine, and I could feel his breath brush against my lips as his chest rose and fell against me. If I died right now I didn't care because I'd already experienced heaven.

I would have stayed like that forever, feeling his strong arms clasping my waist and the curl of his toes against my leg, but I knew it was early morning and time for me to get up. Slowly, so not as to disturb him, I untwined my legs from his, gritting my teeth when they flopped down against the bed. I then lifted up his arm, bringing it to rest down his side gently and resisting the temptation to stroke the bit of his stomach that had been revealed from his t-shirt riding up. Thinking I was out of the water I sighed and went to get up, but as soon as there was space between our bodies an arm flew out and grabbed hold of my side.

"Kurt? Where are you going?" Blaine was still half asleep – his eyes were still closed and his grip was clumsy, fumbling around to get a better hold. I took hold of his hand and he yanked on it so I feel back into him.

"Sssh Blaine, sssh." I whispered gently, not wanting him to wake Scott. Blaine went to put his arm round my waist again but I stopped him.

"Baby, I have to do my skin care, I'll be back in a few minutes I promise." I said as comfortingly as I could. Blaine groaned in disappointment, and his voice was so adorably sleepy that for a moment I almost abandoned my plans and succumbed. However this had to be done.

"I promise." Reaching over I brushed away his hair and placed a soft kiss to his forehead, before lifting myself out of the bed. Well this was going to get done as quickly as physically possible.

* * *

Once I was completely out of the bed Blaine grumbled some more, gathering up the covers around him to try and recover some of the warmth that had been lost by my departure. I smiled, wondering how I'd ever been so blessed to have someone like him. Making my way over to my chest of drawers carefully I noticed Scott sprawled completely across the floor, his mouth hanging open gormlessly so his breath came out in loud snores that I didn't know how I'd managed to sleep through. I reached the dresser and pulled out the stool as quietly as I could, opening the drawer and setting out all of my skincare products. As I quickly applied them one by one I found myself constantly looking in the mirror at the scene behind me. If somebody had told me a year ago that I'd be sharing a room with two guys – one of whom was my best friend and the other my completely drop-dead gorgeous boyfriend – I probably would have laughed in their face. I also knew that if dad ever found out about this I was _toast_.

* * *

I managed to finish in record time (something I would have to tell Blaine later when I needed to win an argument or something) and immediately made my way back over to the bed. When Blaine felt it sink down from my weight a lazy smile spread across his face and he opened his arms for me to crawl into. My skin was still slightly damp, so the fabric of the pillow stuck to my face, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make to feel his warmth again.

"I told you I'd be quick." I mumbled happily, snuggling my nose into his cheek. Blaine sighed, running his fingers through my hair so I purred with pleasure.

"Can we stay like this forever?" He asked. I chuckled.

"Yes please." Slowly I felt a finger reach under my chin and prise my face up – I kept my eyes closed and drank in the feeling of soft lips on mine, the taste of Blaine's tongue as it ran across my teeth…

"Eew." Suddenly I pulled away. The movement was so sharp that for the first time Blaine opened his eyes, looking at me questioningly.

"Morning breath." I replied in explanation. As I sat up he cupped his hand over his mouth, trying to see how bad it was, but I shook my head.

"Not you. Me." Scowling at this measly excuse Blaine went to pull me in again but I pushed him away playfully, getting up again to grab a mint from the side. As I walked past Scott I kicked him lightly in the side so he stirred loudly, letting out a strange kind of growl.

"Come on snorey-pants, time to wake up." I said cheerfully, deciding it was time for all of us to rise. Scott rolled over to bury his head in the covers once more but I kicked him again so he groaned.

"Go away." I laughed, popping the gum in my mouth and chewing as Blaine began to stretch.

* * *

"I had the weirdest dream," Scott said once he'd surfaced properly – his hair was sticking up at all kinds of odd angles but it was far too amusing for me to tell him, "I was having Thanksgiving with my family but I was the turkey – I tried to escape when my Dad came out with the knife but all the brussel sprouts started chasing me around the table." He rubbed his eyes and I laughed.

"That is very weird."

"Maybe you have a fear of being chased or something." Blaine added, trying to put his logical slant on the situation as per usual.

"Nah," Scott replied nonchalantly, "I just hate sprouts." We all laughed simultaneously and I sighed in content.

"Did you guys have a good sleep?" Scott asked, also now starting to stretch. Blaine and I turned to look at each other before smiling knowingly.

"Yeah," I replied, sounding casual but with a grin on my face, "It was very nice."

"In fact," Blaine continued, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me in close so I giggled, "Damien can go and stink bomb Wordsworth any time he wants."


	37. Showdown

_Writers. Block. Sucks._

_So I hope the end of this chapter isn't too rubbish. The start is great though :D Thanks for waiting_

_Liz xxx_

* * *

**Chapter 37 - Showdown**

"This isn't good." Gabriel said, a worried expression on his face. We were all sat round a table in the cafeteria waiting for Scott, who was currently in a meeting with Cox. "He should have been back ages ago." I took a casual bite of my food, not really as nervous as my friend was. If I knew Scott – and I knew him very well – he was probably charming our head with words, and that took time.

"Maybe they're discussing a course of action." Blaine had demanded he be a part of any future meetings related to the prank war, so he sat behind me also eating, one of his arms draped casually around my chair like it so often did. His comment was well received by Gabriel, who nodded, but glanced at my boyfriend's hand in annoyance.

"Do you miss Eli?" I asked, noticing his discomfort. Last week I'd been informed that their first date had gone very well, and from how Gabriel described him I felt he might very well be in love. My friend looked down at his food and I knew I had hit the jackpot.

"It just sucks not being able to see him all the time." He mumbled morosely, dragging his fork across his plate. "I mean you and Blaine hang out all the time."

"Hah!" The laugh came out involuntarily – Blaine looked at me, confused but I continued quickly. "It may seem like it, but we don't actually get half as much time together as I'd like. As _we'd_ like." I squeezed Blaine's hand and he smiled, nodding in agreement. "But I know what you mean. When are we going to get to meet Eli anyway? I'm so excited to see him in person." Again Gabriel shifted uncomfortably and I wondered if I'd said something wrong. He did want us to meet him right?

"Well he's really busy at the moment," he said "what with working full time and having to look after his family," I'd also been told that Eli had two very ill parents, so he was always having to cancel meetings to look after them. Sometimes he even had to cut him off mid conversation on the phone. "But I'll try and sort something out." Clapping my hands together I squealed in excitement – Gabriel and Blaine laughed but our conversation was broken by the sight of Scott appearing in the doorway.

"So?" I asked expectantly as soon as he sat down. "What happened?"

"Well," Scott popped a chip in his mouth as he spoke, and I almost slapped him on the wrist for being so rude, "Cox definitely thinks that Damien pulled the stink bomb prank," we all cheered in unison, Gabriel clenching his fist in satisfaction, "but they still have no concrete proof."

"What?" Gabriel seemed outraged, banging on the table so we all jumped. "That's outrageous!"

"Well that's _Damien_ for ya. He did however say that he wants this war stopped. Before any other Dalton property is damaged."

"Well ending a war works both ways." Blaine said, leaning forward so his arm slipped off my chair. "You're going to have to meet with Damien for talks."

"No." Scott replied, his voice stern. "He wants _me_ to end it."

"He wants you to surrender?"

"Yup. _Again_." My best friend leant back in his chair, popping another chip in his mouth and shaking his head in annoyance. I knew how much conceding the last war had affected him, so I certainly didn't want it happening again.

"Is there any way we can stop this?" I asked. "Anything we can do?"

"Nope. The only way to win the war is to pull an even bigger prank on Damien than the stink bomb – and as Cox knows it's me that would mean I get expelled." A gasp of horror escaped from my mouth – Scott glanced at me in annoyance but I knew he was angry too.

"That sucks." Blaine said sadly.

"Too right it sucks! It sucks Dalton ass." For a while we all sat in silence, quietly eating our food and trying to think of any way to avoid the coming events. Of course it wasn't complete social suicide to concede – in fact to many people Scott would probably be seen as the honourable one. But between Scot and Damien it would mean one was the victor and the other was a coward. And Scott certainly wasn't a coward.

"Hey!" Suddenly my best friend jumped up, almost knocking his chips clean off the table. "I've got it!"

"What?" I enquired. We all stared at him expectantly, waiting for the master plan to be revealed. But instead my best friend simply ran out of the cafeteria, leaving us all dumbfounded.

"Well that was weird." Gabriel stated, before returning to his food. I did the same, shaking my head. This was not good…

* * *

"I don't know what to do." The piece of paper I'd been twirling round my fingers slipped out of my grasp and fluttered to the floor so I scowled, cursing myself. I was lying on my bed (which I still hadn't bothered to make – something I knew meant I was seriously bothered) with my phone pressed against my ear. Mercedes was on the other end.

"It's a suicide mission."

"What's Scott planning?" I sighed.

"It's some kind of showdown. Him and Damien meet at a designated spot – they challenge each other and whoever wins is the overall victor."

"It doesn't sound too bad."

"It sounds ridiculous. I think he's been watching too many Western movies." Mercedes chuckled and I scowled again. This was not the time to be laughing.

"I'm sorry." She said, obviously sensing my disproval. "This is just the kind of thing Scott would do though."

"_I know_. He's trying to be the martyr – saving everyone else all on his own. You know he doesn't want anyone else there?"

"I guess that makes is fairer."

"But that's just it. Damien _isn't_ fair. Even if Scott comes alone that doesn't mean Damien won't have tens of hired cronies just waiting in the bushes ready to pounce. Not to mention the fact that Oscar and Phoenix will want to get involved."

"He's trying to protect you." Mercedes said, admiration in her voice for the man she adored. She was right.

"I know he is. But I don't want protecting – I just want him to stop being an idiot." Mercedes sighed and I stared up at the wall. Why did I have to have such a headstrong best friend? It was so hard to talk him out of things. Suddenly there were noises in the background – I'd interrupted a family gathering to talk to Mercedes but had declared that was urgent – now however it seemed she was needed to control her younger cousins.

"I'm sorry Kurt, I've gotta go," she said, sounding like she really didn't want to leave. "Just talk to Scott. He'll listen to you."

"I hope so." Saying a hurried goodbye I heard the line go dead and dropped my phone onto the pillow beside me, groaning. I hoped so.

* * *

A few minutes later whilst I was trying in vain to get some more Trig revision done my phone rang again. I hurriedly picked it up, thinking it was Mercedes managing to break free from her cousins again, but instead I heard Blaine's dulcet tones through the speaker.

"Kurt?"

"Hi." I said, relaxing slightly. Sometimes just hearing his voice was all it took to calm me down. "What's up?"

"Did I leave my planner in your room?" Scanning my quarters briefly I shook my head.

"No. I don't even think you brought it in here."

"That's what I thought. I can't find it anywhere. Somebody must have come into my room while they were cleaning Wordsworth." I paused, taking the statement into consideration. Somebody had stolen from Blaine?

"But the whole building was shut off." I said, confusion gracing my tone. "Nobody was allowed in."

"Well I never move my planner and it's missing. I think some other stuff is gone too."

"You don't think…?" Suddenly the sight of Xavier flashed into my head – the way he had looked when he'd seen us cleaning Blaine's car. I still didn't believe he was completely innocent.

"I don't know. But thanks anyway."

"Do you want to come round?" I asked hopefully. "I need some trig tutoring."

"I thought that was your job," my boyfriend replied with a laugh. "See you soon."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

A few days later and Blaine still hadn't found his planner – it was really messing up his schedule and he kept missing meetings – which wasn't making him very popular with other students. However, there were more pressing matters on my mind. The date of Scott's 'showdown' was today, and despite various attempts to persuade him otherwise (one even involving me watching a whole baseball game. I'd been convinced that self-sacrifice would have worked) it was still going ahead. And he was still going solo.

"I can't have any of you getting hurt." He'd said, making it sound like he was going off into battle, instead of just meeting up with another student. Eventually I'd backed down, saying I'd leave him be - but there was no way in hell I was actually going through with it. Even if it meant I had to crawl on my knees through bushes, I was going to that meeting.

* * *

Blaine and I conjured up an ingenious plan. He would keep watch on Scott's room until he left the building – we had a good idea what time the showdown was, but I knew Scott too well to expect him to leave on time. He would try and outfox us, but we were one step ahead. Once Blaine had seen him leave and get a considerable distance away from Wordsworth he would call me and Gabriel, Nathaniel and I would follow him, Blaine meeting up with us en route. What we would do once we reached the meeting was as of yet undecided – but I was faithfully backing my own instincts to do their job when the moment served them.

* * *

When my clock struck five pm I felt my whole body tense up. Nathaniel and Gabriel were perched on various chairs around my room, all of us silent as we stared at my phone lying a few inches away from me on my bed. I felt like we were in some kind of thriller movie – waiting for our next instructions that determined whether we would live or die. My palms were beginning to sweat and I wanted more than ever for my phone to ring and put us out of our misery.

Suddenly a noise echoed around the room. For a second I couldn't work out what it was, but then Gabriel shook my shoulder and I realised my phone was flashing. Instantly my arm flashed out and I smashed it to my ear.

"This is Patti Lupone, are you there?"

"Oh God, are we actually using those code names?" Blaine sounded exasperated, I ignored him.

"Yes. Damien could have our phone tapped, you never know. Are we set?"

"Yes. This is Pavarotti saying we are set. Dumbo has left the building." I clapped my hands together excitedly, before regaining my composure and nodding at my two friends.

"We're on."

* * *

Crouching through the undergrowth of Dalton's grounds I felt like I was playing my own version of Call Of Duty – except nobody had to shoot anybody and I wasn't completely useless at it. We'd successfully met up with Blaine and were now following Scott as silently as we could.

"What's my code name again?" Nathaniel asked. I sighed.

"Poppins. Because you magically organise things."

"But isn't Mary Poppins a woman?"

"Her legend has no gender. I was working with limited resources." My Head Boy went to counter again but suddenly Blaine shushed us and we all stopped. We had reached a clearing deep in the Dalton grounds, somewhere I had never actually ventured before. Scott was barely 6 feet in front of us – suddenly adrenaline coursed through me that we were actually on a mission, that he had no idea we'd followed him to have his back. For a while there was silence, nobody else seemed to be around. I saw Scott look at his watch, scraping the ground with his feet and rocking back a forth slowly. Where was Damien?

I was about to turn and say something to Nathaniel, when he grabbed hold of my arm and pointed forwards. Damien had appeared at the other side of the clearing. Surprisingly he seemed to be alone.

"Greetings Macleod." He said with a smile. Scott bristled and I felt a stab of motherly angst go through me. He shouldn't be doing this solo.

"Let's just do this." He said briskly. Damien laughed – that strange laugh that always sent shivers down my spine for the wrong reasons.

"Alright then." Suddenly two figures sprang out from behind some trees. They were so close to us I was surprised they hadn't stumbled on our hiding place. Oscar and Phoenix grabbed hold of Scott, who yelled out in surprise and suddenly I couldn't hide anymore.

"HEY!" Nathaniel had tried to yank me down, but in doing so also revealed himself. I rushed forward to grab Oscar and Gabriel had a firm hold on Phoenix seconds after.

"So…" Damien said with a smile, looking at the scene before him with amusement. "It seems none of us can keep to a deal."

"_What the hell are you doing here_?" Scott looked annoyed – he shot a glance at me but I didn't budge.

"Saving your skin. It's what friends do."

"I don't need saving."

"Eh hum." Clearing my throat I signalled to the two Dahl cronies we were currently holding back and Scott sighed.

"Let them go." For a second I protested but he shot me another glance and I reluctantly released my hold on Oscar, showing him forward towards Damien roughly, with Gabriel doing the same to Phoenix.

"Why is Nathaniel here?" Scott asked under his breath as I moved to stand beside him, the rest of our team following suit so we flanked him like a team of bodyguards.

"He overheard us. And anyway I'm involved in this prank war too so now we have both Head Boys to back us up." My best friend rolled his eyes but I ignored him, instead looking forward at our opponents. Our five outnumbered their three, but Damien didn't seem phased at all. In fact he seemed to find the whole scenario very amusing.

"Well isn't this fun!" He exclaimed after a brief period of silence. "We've all come together to watch the showdown!" He took a step forward and we all bristled. Scott pushed us back and also stepped forward.

"They're just here to support me. This is _my_ battle."

"Yes, and it would seem it is my battle too." Suddenly Oscar and Phoenix stepped up with us.

"Hey! We started this! We want to finish it too." Oscar said, folding his arms.

"Yeah. And we want to see the look on Scott's face when we beat him again." Phoenix added, smirking.

"Yes, well let's not forget where you would be without your trusted friend this time." Damien replied, slightly diminishing their grins. "But I suppose it would be rude of me to say no…"

"That's not fair!" I jumped forward next to Scott, who immediately tried to push me back. "That's three against one!"

"Well I suppose we can allow you to enter the fray, seeing as you are his, _sidekick_."

"_Kurt_, I told you not to get involved!" Scott shouted at me, stress suddenly evident on his face.

"What's the big deal? It's not as if anyone's going to get hurt!"

"Well, not physically anyway…" Damien looked at me and my heart dropped. This wasn't just some little prank war now. It was something much bigger. What on earth had we got ourselves into…

"Let's get on with it then." Scott said, standing strongly so he slightly shadowed one of my sides. I clenched my fists and Damien laughed.

"Ok then."

* * *

"OH HELL TO THE NO!" Suddenly another voice boomed out into the clearing. Scott and I looked behind us but Gabriel, Nathaniel and Blaine all shook their heads. What the hell?

"What's going on here?" The voice echoed again and all of a sudden a figure burst out of the trees. A figure I recognised.

"Mercedes!" I called out to my friend – half in excitement and half in shock. What was she doing here? To my surprise she ignored me, surveying us like we were strangers she'd just stumbled upon.

"I said, what's going on?" Her eyes cast across the Dahls, but suddenly stopped when they rested on Damien.

"Oh, hello there." A smile spread across her face and something changed in her voice. Slowly she walked towards Damien and I noticed the same look on his face too. He was entranced by her.

"What the…?" Scott looked completely livid – his eyes fixed on his girlfriend as she stepped closer. I found myself unable to decide whether to keep an eye on him or watch the scene that was unfolding. Finally Mercedes stopped just a few paces away from Damien, who looked like he was about to salivate all over the clearing.

"What's your name?" She said with a smile, holding out her hand. Damien grinned.

"Dubrisque. Damien Dubrisque." Bending down to take hold of it and press a soft kiss to her skin I saw Scott lurch forward out of the corner of my eye and reached out to grab him. He fought with me, fury in his eyes, but I resisted.

"Sssh Scott! Sssh!" Hissed silently out of my mouth. There had to be more to this. Mercedes wouldn't just ignore us. She had-

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY MAN?" Suddenly a shout rang out through the clearing that had everybody jumping back in shock. As Damien had begun to return to a standing position Mercedes had taken her hand away and flicked it viciously into his cheek.

"Did she just slap him?" I heard Nathaniel ask in concern to Blaine. A grin spread across my face.

"WELL?" Mercedes sounded livid – her face was almost red with anger and her hand was raised as if she was ready to dole out another slap. Damien looked completely shocked.

"Um…well…" He stumbled on his words – still unable to believe that the beautiful girl he had been flirting with seconds ago was now trying to kill him.

"Would _you_ like to tell me?" Now Mercedes flashed her gaze up to Oscar and Phoenix, who immediately stood to attention like they were being inspected.

"We were, we were…"  
"Um, who is your man?" Phoenix's voice was shaky and he flinched even though Mercedes made no effort to move. A smile spread slowly across her face and she turned around before walking towards us. Scott looked like he'd just won the lottery – when she reached us he held open his arm and she slotted underneath it, giving him a quick kiss on the lips before looking back at the now completely gobsmacked Dahls.

"_This _is my man. Oh and hi Kurt." Quickly she waved at me and I waved back, grinning from ear to ear. Damien had now risen properly to his feet, a faint red mark still visible on his cheek, which he rubbed slowly to try and hide his shock. Oscar and Phoenix however had their mouths open, so I heard Blaine chuckle behind me.

"So is anyone gonna tell me what you guys have been doing to my baby?" I couldn't believe Mercedes was still continuing – this was amazing. Oscar and Phoenix looked at Damien, who rolled his eyes.

"We were pranking him. It was a prank war."

"Oh _really_? And who decided to _start_ this prank war?"

"They did." Damien pointed both his hands outwards and his two comrades immediately jumped back, as if moving out of the firing line would somehow make them innocent.

"Well, I should hope for your sake you stop this, before someone gets hurt. Ok?"

Scott looked ecstatic. Oscar and Phoenix looked about ready to curl up in a ball. I was beginning to think this thing was about wrapped up, when Damien stepped forward. His previous shock seemed to have disappeared.

"This was nice Macleod. Getting your girlfriend to do your work for you. That's a great show of manhood." A smirk appeared on his face and Scott's grin dropped. Oh great.

"Hey – I am _not_ doing his work for him. I aint no slave." Mercedes replied indignantly. Damien laughed.

"You two are cute. But I'm afraid it's going to take more than one scary girlfriend to intimidate me out of a fight." Glancing over at Scott I saw his expression warring – unable to decide whether to lead Mercedes behind and continue the standoff or stand with her and accept her help. I was about to intervene when suddenly we were all stopped again.

"I thought you might say that." Mercedes said plainly, squeezing her boyfriend's arm to show him everything was under control. "So I have to tell you I have a lot of friends who feel the same way I do, and would help me if needed." Damien chuckled.

"What? You have some kind of girl army?"

"No, not quite. But I brought one of them here with me to give you a taste of what they're like."

Holding out her arm we heard a rustle in the bushes and a figure appeared.

* * *

"Santana!" The words escaped from my mouth before I'd even realised, everyone turned to look at me and I blushed. The girl herself smiled briefly at me, before turning to Mercedes and putting on her game face.

"Which one of these bitches is messing Scott around?" Mercedes pointed forward and Oscar and Phoenix cowed away so only Damien stood tall. Santana smiled, flexing her fingers before slowly walking up to Scott's nemesis.

"Hi there." She said when she reached him. Damien didn't move, just started straight forward like he was unimpressed. "The name's Santana. You're from the circus right?" At this the Dahl student's eyes flashed with recognition, his head twitching slightly before he regained his composure. Santana smiled.

"Thought so. Well if you're from that side of the tracks you might have heard of a little place called Lima Heights." Mercedes looked at me and I grinned, knowing what was coming.

"Have _you_ heard of Lima Heights?" Santana flashed her head round to look at Oscar and I swear he whimpered, cowering away further.

"No." He mumbled in reply.

"I thought not. You with your fancy uniforms and your plush dorms. Lima Heights is _not_ where someone like you would want to be. At Lima Heights we keep monkeys as pets. Huge scary monkeys. We let them roam free in the streets and call them when we need them. Do you know what these monkeys eat? Eyeballs. Eyeballs of the people that are too weak to fight. So when we're not practising our Spanish or watching Magnum PI – we people in Lima Heights train. We train in combat." I could see the glare on Damien's face beginning to waver. Santana kept cracking her fingers and every click made Oscar and Phoenix shudder.

"_I_ have fought a monkey. I know the feeling of pain. And you know what happened to that monkey that I fought? _It died_. So if you ever think of bothering any of my friends again – we will come for you. And you will end up like the monkey. _Comprende_?"

* * *

Silence spread across the clearing. Everyone was looking at Damien – even Oscar and Phoenix, who were managing to glance up from the arms they'd been cowering behind. Santana glanced back at me briefly and I put my thumb up discreetly, making her smile. Finally the Dahl boy spoke.

"You guys are crazy." I paused. It hadn't been the reaction I was expecting.

"What?"

"Seriously – you're crazy. Monkeys? What is this crap?"

"Are you disrespecting Lima Heights? _Are you disrespecting my heritage?_?" Santana lunged forward and Damien jumped back, almost crashing into a bush. Mercedes and Scott rushed forwards to hold her back but the attack had had the desired effect. He looked shaken.

"For once Damien," Scott replied, looking him straight in the eye, "I think I am being serious."

"Let's end this now." Suddenly Blaine stepped forward. He'd been quiet virtually this whole time and I shot him a warning glance, but he ignored it. "It's not going to look good for you if you carry on Damien. I mean, you just got intimidated and shamed by two girls." Suddenly Gabriel chuckled. Everybody turned in his direction and he flushed bright red. But even that was working in our favour.

"You have friends. So does Scott. But his friends come without being called. Or paid. So I'm suggesting, as a Head Boy with another Head Boy also present, that you do the right thing, and concede. It's for the best." Now we waited for the answer. Even Santana had calmed down, eager to hear the response. Damien seemed to be warring with his thoughts, finding himself in a situation he'd never been in before. Finally he sighed deeply, his shoulders sinking down despondently.

* * *

"_Fine_."

"Fine what?"

"You win. Ok? You win Scott. I concede." The clearing erupted with cheers. Scott jumped up in the air higher than I'd ever seen him before and punched the air. Gabriel ran up to me and gave me a big hug. Santana was glaring in satisfaction at her latest victims. Oscar and Phoenix looked about ready to pee their pants.

"Yes!"


	38. Regionals

_Again guys, I am SO SORRY! I went to see Glee Live on Tuesday so that's all I've been able to think about, but I have these next few days off, so will try and bash out a couple more chapters. Thanks to everyone that's stuck around :D_

_Also if any of you English peeps are going to the evening Darren Criss show on the 5th July, keep a look out for me! I'll be wearing a dungarees dress, an AVPM tshirt and knee high socks :D On and I'll be with my sister who apparently looks exactly like me._

_Liz xxx_

* * *

**Chapter 38 - Regionals**

Queuing up to get on the coach for regionals was a lot more of an enjoyable process than it should have been. Ever since our victory over Damien, Scott and I had been crowned kings of Dalton, and as a result had people following us around nearly everywhere we went. At the moment my adoring fans were currently being kept away by Wes so I could have some quality time with my boyfriend.

"Are you nervous?" I asked, nudging Blaine's hand so he looked away from the tinted windows of the coach and back to me. "You look nervous."

"Nah." He smiled, but it was only half of one. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Well tell me about it. I'm here." I linked our fingers and gave them a squeeze, trying to get proper eye contact and just about succeeding.

"Yeah. For the first time in about four days."

"_Hey_" I countered back, slightly annoyed but not wanting to push it too much. "Now you know what it's like for me when you have Head Boy stuff."

"It sucks."

"_I know_." I did feel bad that Blaine had almost been excluded from the story – especially as he'd been the one to actually confront Damien about conceding. Somehow I had been given the credit for that, and despite me trying to set the record straight several times my pleas had been ignored. I wasn't sure if that was because of the animosity some of Blaine's housemates had begun to inexplicably show towards him, but didn't want to dwell on it.

"Hey." I said after a brief pause, pulling on my boyfriend's arm so we faced each other and I could rub his biceps. "You are going to rock this. Everyone is going to love you and we are going to _win_." I stared deep into the pools of hazel I loved so dearly, projecting my words telepathically again until finally I got the reaction I wanted.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Now come on. We have a coach to catch." I pulled Blaine along with me as the line moved forward a few steps and heard him chuckle under his breath.

* * *

Once we boarded the coach, like before, our spectators had already been seated. As I inched my way down the corridor the boys in front of me stopped and I saw a log jam had been created by some students gathering round a pair of seats. On closer inspection that involved a bit of neck craning I found the source and grinned.

"And then Damien just looked at us. Like we were crazy. But you could tell he was scared." Scott's voice boomed out, retelling the story that everyone wanted to hear. I was pretty sure the version he was now divulging was quite a way from what had actually happened, but wasn't going to spoil his fun. After our victory my best friend had let slip the L word when talking to Mercedes, so he was also celebrating the formalising of his relationship too.

"Santana didn't really fight a monkey did she?" Turning round I saw Nathaniel sitting in the seat next to me, a slightly nervous look on his face. I suppose I would be like that if she'd come onto _me_.

"Of course not. She was just exaggerating." I smiled, patting him on the shoulder and trying to sound like I knew for certain, before spinning back round to my boyfriend.

"Come on." Grabbing hold of his hand I found an alternative walkway and took us to the back of the coach. When we reached the back seats I slipped in to the one by the window and held my arms open.

"I'll give you a head massage." Smiling, Blaine crawled into the seat next to me, resting the back of his head on my shoulder so I shifted slightly and began to run my fingers lightly across his head the way I knew he loved. As the coach doors closed and I felt him begin to relax I felt my muscles also unwind. It was just nerves. I knew it was. Just nerves.

* * *

When we arrived at the venue I gave Blaine's shoulder a gentle shake. It seemed a shame to wake him from his position, curled up against my body with one of his hands slipped underneath my blazer, but he stirred in the most adorable way and I smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"We're here." As my boyfriend rubbed his eyes and tried to sort out his hair I straightened my tie and thought about what was to come. I was looking forward to seeing my McKinley friends again, but this time there wasn't much chance of us drawing. One of us was going to have to win - unless Sue Sylvester pulled out all the stops and surprised everyone with Aural Intensity's show.

As I hopped lightly off the coach I held out my hand for Blaine's and he took it gratefully, still half asleep. Noticing Scott surrounded by his crowd of fans I sent him a wave, before then spotting Gabriel and pulling us both Blaine and I over to him.

"Hi," I said - feeling for all the world like a mother with their tired son, "thanks for coming again."

"Hey, no problem." He replied, looking upbeat.

"But you gave up a date with Eli! That's not fair!"

"Kurt. I can go out with Eli anytime. This only happens once." He smiled and I flashed him a look of thanks. "Looks like the show's gonna be good too."

"It will be - especially with this guy leading us!" I held up the hand that was intertwined with Blaine's and he laughed, giving me a gentle shove.

"Stop it."

"You must be pretty nervous." Gabriel commented. "I would be."

"Yeah, but I've done this sort of thing before." Blaine seemed to have regained some of his energy and spoke with conviction.

"And you have Kurt to cheer you on."

"Exactly." My boyfriend looked at me, smiling and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. I grinned as he went to give me another one before suddenly having a brainwave just before our mouths touched.

"Hey!" Blaine drew back, looking rather shocked, but I ignored him, turning to Gabriel. "You gave up a date with Eli right?" My friend seemed confused.

"Yes..."

"So that means he's free today..." I waited for him to twig, but was faced only with a blank face. "Invite him here!" Both boys looked at me like I was crazy. "What? It's perfect! We can just sneak him in with us - you get to hang out and we all get to meet him!"

"Kurt, we don't really need any distractions." Blaine began, seeming wary of my suggestion.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to get in the way of anything."

"Nonsense." I dug into Gabriel's pocket making him squeal in surprise and pulled out his phone. "Call him. Now." Glancing briefly to Blaine for approval Gabriel dithered for a couple of seconds, before begrudgingly opening his phone and dialing a number.

"Yes!" As he walked off to make the call I looked at Blaine, who was shooting me a disapproving look.

"You're loving this matchmaker thing aren't you?" He said incredulously. I smiled, giving him another quick kiss.

"Of course. Come on, let's go inside."

* * *

The Regionals venue was much bigger than the Sectionals one, and as a result the competitors were placed right at different ends of the building. There was no way I was going to be able to meet up with anyone until after everyone had performed. With this disappointment I settled for sending Mercedes a good luck text and getting myself changed into my costume. I say costume - for some reason the Warblers had felt it necessary to create special ties and blazers for the event, that we would only put on at the venue. According to Stephen it was superstition, but I felt it was to give everyone something to do instead of just standing around waiting to go on. Xavier, who after much pleading and persuading by the council (greatly opposed by me and several others) had decided to rejoin our crew, was standing by the door ordering everyone about. As Blaine and I passed he gave us both a steely glare and I returned it with one of my own, shielding Blaine with my arm so he wouldn't notice.

* * *

As we stood by our pegs undressing I noticed my boyfriend's hands shaking slightly as he fumbled with his tie. Normally I would have used this opportunity to gaze at his wonderful physique, but I found myself desperately searching his eyes instead.

"Blaine?" Suddenly he stopped. I found myself frozen too, wondering what had happened.

"Where's my tie?" The question seemed innocent at first – I didn't quite understand it. But then I glanced upwards to our pegs – mine holding my brand new tie and Blaine's…empty.

"What?"

"It was there a second ago." Blaine was staring blankly around, unsure of what to do. I felt my hands still hovering over my shirt collar and had to tell myself to start looking. Turning around quickly I began searching the nearby floor, incase it had accidentally fallen or been knocked. There was nothing around.

"Did you move it or something?" I was trying not to accuse, but it wouldn't have been surprising given his funny state of mind. Blaine shook his head.

"No. It was here, then I went to speak to Wes. Now it's gone." Suddenly Earl came over, looking concerned.

"Are you guys ok? He asked, looking at me.

"Blaine's lost his tie." I replied. The Wildeian boy's eyebrows furrowed.

"What? We were only given them a couple of minutes ago."

"Yes, but _mines gone_." My boyfriend sounded stressed, his tone clipped and harsh. I held out a hand to graze his arm but he shoved it away.

"You can have mine…" I suggested quietly, hurt by his aggressive reaction.

"Soloists have their own ties. The only person that could give me his is Steven."

"Well I'm sure it's round here somewhere." Now taking on the role of leader Earl pushed me to search with him again, but I was shaken. This wasn't like Blaine at all. It was worrying, especially with where we were.

* * *

"Hey!" Suddenly my boyfriend seemed to spy something. I looked up eagerly but to my horror saw him storming across the room to something entirely different. Xavier.

"HEY!" The Darwin Head Boy looked annoyed, but his expression quickly turned to shock when Blaine grabbed hold of his collar and shoved him against the wall.

"Woah man! What the hell?"

"Where's my tie? I know you took it!" Blaine's voice was filled with anger and hate – I immediately dropped everything and rushed over.

"What! I never took anything! Jesus!" When I reached the pair Xavier's face was bright red, Blaine's hands pressing down on his throat. I grabbed hold of my boyfriend and wrenched him away.

"Blaine!"

"LIAR! YOU'VE BEEN OUT TO GET ME FROM THE START!" The words echoed around the room, everyone else now standing silently watching. Somehow I managed to pull together enough strength to drag my boyfriend kicking and screaming away, Xavier gratefully taking in deep breaths and complaining in a hoarse voice to the Darwins that immediately came to his aid. (Funny how they had stood back when he was being attacked.)

* * *

"_Blaine_!" When we reached the corridor outside our dressing room I pushed him against the wall, pinning down his shoulders so he couldn't struggle. For a couple of horrible seconds he tried to fight back, before dejectedly slumping down in defeat.

"_What is going on_?" I couldn't understand – what had happened so suddenly? This wasn't the Blaine I was used to. This wasn't my boyfriend.

"Oh Kurt." Suddenly I felt weight on my arms and struggled to hoist Blaine back up to his feet.

"Blaine, oh my Gaga."

"I don't know what's happened. Everyone's turned against me."

"What?" Pulling us both upright I looked deep into Blaine's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone. Ever since I lost my planner and started being late to things everyone has been on my back, criticising everything I do. People are ignoring my rules and I swear Wordsworth is going to collapse if I'm not careful." Jeez. This really was a situation.

"Oh Blaine. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you."

"I thought we promised to share everything after the prank war?"

"Yeah I know, but you were so happy and I thought I could cope with it. But I can't." Leaning forward into me Blaine buried his head into my shoulder and I hugged him tightly.

"It's going to be ok. We'll sort everything out…"

"It's Xavier." At his next words I paused, pulling back.

"What?"

"I know he's doing it. He's had it in for me for weeks. He's manipulating everyone so they'll hate me." I sighed.

"Blaine… Are you sure?"

"Yes! Why else would this be happening?"

"Are you sure it's not just a bad coincidence? This can't all be down to one person."

"Well someone is plotting against me, and Xavier has just the right twisted self-centred mind to do it." Sighing again I kissed Blaine lightly on the nose. I hated to see him like this, but making wild accusations wasn't going to get us anywhere.

"I'll keep a look out. But right now we need to concentrate on finding your tie and owning this performance, instead of trying to kill members of our group." Sighing in reply my boyfriend ran his hands along my shoulders, as if the movement helped to calm him down, before giving himself a shake and returning back to the dressing room.

* * *

"Everything ok?" Earl asked when we both entered. Everyone was staring at us, apprehension in their eyes.

"Yeah, just a bit of meltdown." I replied quietly. "Blaine needs all the support he can get."

"Right on. We found his tie by the way. Somebody must have given it back to Xavier by mistake." I saw Blaine glance back at me, his expression telling me all I needed to know about his conspiracy theory, and groaned inside.

"Great."

"Oh, and Gabriel came by. Told me to tell you that Eli can't make it. He's sorry." Smiling bravely Earl left to get ready and I rubbed my forehead frantically with my palms. Well this was going to be fun.

* * *

Our performance was fantastic. Steven knocked his ballad out of the park – everyone gave him a standing ovation so we had to wait a couple of seconds before starting the next song. Blaine came onto stage and it was like nothing had happened. He was a completely different person. Watching him bounce around the stage I fell in love with him yet again, his joyfulness, the sheer energy that radiated from his pores and the heart that was so visible in the way he sang. I wanted the performance to never end, but sadly it had to, and I knew as soon as we left the stage another of my boyfriend's amazing talents. Acting.

* * *

Sitting together in the stalls for New Directions' performance we had our fingers laced together and my head resting gently on his shoulder, but I could still feel the tension there. Especially when Xavier was sitting just a row in front. When Rachel came on stage and began to sing my eyebrows furrowed as I tried to work out what song she was singing, before I realised.

"They're doing original songs." Blaine looked at me, worried. This was bad. Rachel finished and the rest if the group sang a song about being losers, standing together. Somehow it seemed ironic compared to us and my stomach tightened at the thought of our dreams ending.

* * *

"HEY!" Mercedes rushed over to me in the green room, her eyes alive from the leftover adrenaline. We'd all made our way over quickly but my heart had been heavy. "You were amazing!" She engulfed me in a hug and I had to let go of Blaine's hand, worry coursing through me as I pictured him running off and decking Xavier in the face. Thankfully though he was still there when I resurfaced.

"You didn't tell us you were doing original songs." I said, trying to make my tone as light as possible. Mercedes bit her lip.

"Yeah, sorry. I wanted to, but Mr Shue made me promise to keep it underground. It was our big secret weapon."

"Too right it was." Blaine added, a small smile on his face. "You knocked us right out of the judges memory."

"No! Don't be silly. You were fantastic – I loved the song choice."

"That was Kurt's idea." My boyfriend gave me a nudge and I blushed.

"Where is Rachel? I need to have words with her about that solo, it was far too good."

"Um, I think she's talking to Finn. Those two have had a few issues recently." Mercedes looked like she was going to continue (which I was desperate to hear about – any gossip was better than the real stuff going on in my life) when suddenly she spotted something behind me and screamed.

"SCOTT!" After that she was gone, running over and crushing her lips into my best friend's. It was kind of funny seeing them kiss – like watching your siblings but also incredibly cute. Scott kept saying 'I love you baby' over and over again which only made her more hyper and I laughed, before spotting Gabriel next to them looking more than a little shocked.

"Hi." I said with a smile as he came over.

"You were brilliant." Gabriel said, looking at me first then Blaine. "You too."

"Thanks." My boyfriend replied, interlocking his fingers with mine again and pulling me close. "You guys were lucky to get backstage."

"I know. Scott has many tricks."

"Nothing will stop him from getting to Mercedes." I said laughing. The snog show had now developed into something that was making some of the Warblers step away. "What happened to Eli then? You said he was free!"

"Yeah, I know. When I cancelled on him he made other plans. He was gutted though he really wanted to meet you."

"Ah man, sucks. Another time then."

"Of course." Suddenly I noticed Xavier approaching and knew we had limited time.

"Quick! You'd better leave before he blows his top." Turning round Gabriel immediately jumped in fright – he ran over and gingerly tried to pull Scott away before shouting at him so he looked around confused and was dragged off.

"Marc Jacobs…" I muttered, snuggling into Blaine as I saw Tina and Artie making their way over and prepared for a new conversation.

* * *

The stage lights were like homing beacons. Even though the spotlight was on every Warbler, I felt like it was focused on me, pointing out every hair out of place, every droplet of sweat that had begun to pool on my forehead. Blaine was next to me, his face stern and posture tense. His hand was squeezing mine so tightly I felt I might burst a blood vessel and his skin felt clammy. Looking out into the crowd I tried to see through the glare to any of my friends but could only see some blurred faces. New Directions stood to our left and Aural Intensity at the end, Sue Sylvester somehow managing to look completely cool – as if she was certain of winning. The woman announcing the results looked like she'd been sampling the bar a little too much – in any normal situation I would have made a joke, but now I was trying desperately not to be sick.

"Let's just skip to who won." She slurred, shakily opening the golden envelope that held one of our dreams. New Directions, or the Warblers…

"The winner is… New Directions!"

For a second everything went quiet. It was like I had been plunged underwater, the sound coming in slowly and swimming round in my ears. I heard Rachel shriek in delight, engulfing Finn who made a muffled sound. Santana was shouting something about Lima Heights coming good and Mr Shue was pumping his first in the air. I turned around to the rest of the Warblers and saw silence. Nobody was speaking. I was about to turn to Blaine when I heard a shout from the crowd and saw Scott celebrating his girlfriend's win. He was frantically being pulled down my other Dalton boys, who all looked furious, but as he sat down he flashed a look of sympathy to me that showed he was still thinking of us. I suppose it would have been win win for him. Somebody stalked across the stage in front of us and for a second I thought it was Xavier throwing another hissy fit, but then a punch echoed around the room and the announcer smacked to the floor. Rachel gasped behind us melodramatically and Sue dusted her hands off, satisfied with her work.

"What?" All of us looked at her, dumbstruck, before she proudly walked off the stage and left us wondering what to do.

New Directions had won. The Warblers had lost. We were out of the competition.


	39. Stakeout

_Posting an earlyish chapter for y'all cause I'M GOING TO SEE DARREN CRISS TODAY!_

_Also outfit change, I'm still gonna be wearing my blue AVPM tshirt but with a skirt instead :D Hope to see you all there!_

_Enjoy this chapter - it may cause a bit of a ruckus..._

_Liz xxx_

_P.S Anyone that understand the bank I love yooooou :D_

* * *

**Chapter 39 - Stakeout**

"Ouch." This floor was cold. And there was nowhere good to lean against.

I moved my torch to look at my watch, sighing at the time. Why was I still here? And why had nobody even noticed me? I wasn't sure whether to be impressed at my good spying skills, or offended that a search party hadn't been called. Blaine was still getting hassled – especially since Xavier had kindly made it his mission to blame him solely for our loss at Regionals – something most of us had fought defiantly but a couple had decided to agree with. It hadn't been Blaine's fault at all – New Directions had just been better. If anything his performance had put us streets ahead of Aural Intensity. Even so, things had kept on happening to the point where I had decided to try and catch this perpetrator (if it was one person; I was wary of Xavier but still felt it had to be a mix of several things) red handed. This had involved gathering together a torch, some snacks, my camera and a large one of Artem's jackets. It smelt funny, kind of like vodka and wood mixed together. I didn't know if Artem drank vodka or what kinds of European parties him and Stefan were secretly having in their room, but he certainly smelt of it. Dressing in my brilliant disguise (I'd also borrowed one of Stefan's hats, which I was trying not to think of as a hat he had killed many animals in whilst hunting on his estate) I'd made my way secretly over to Wordsworth and hidden myself away behind the janitor's cupboard door. It was a dark damp room and I kept prodding myself in the back with mops and things. Staking out wasn't all it cracked up to be.

* * *

Slowly sticking the last of my Red Vines in my mouth (I'd become addicted ever since I'd learnt of Blaine's obsession with them) I sighed, wondering if anyone was even going to come down the corridor, let alone Blaine's stalker. It had been a ghost town for almost an hour. The silence seemed to hold its own thrum and I kept mistaking it for real noises. As I chewed and listened to the sound of my teeth clashing together I suddenly heard a loud sound and almost knocked over the bucket I was leaning on. Footsteps. And they didn't sound like normal footsteps. They sounded like sneaky stalker footsteps.

Holding my breath so I almost choked on leftover Red Vine I moved onto my toes, my camera recording and poised to pounce on the intruder. The footsteps got closer, obviously heading for Blaine's room at the end of the corridor. My heartbeat began to race, getting faster and faster until suddenly…

"GOT YOU!" I jumped out of my hiding place, trying to look as scary as possible and hold my camera still to catch a video. The culprit screamed, jumping back so they crashed into the wall and went tumbling to the ground, crying out in pain as they clutched their arm. Wait, I recognised that shout…

"_GABRIEL?" _It couldn't be… Stepping forward I saw to my horror that it was. Gabriel was lying on the floor still rocking backwards and forwards in pain, his face screwed up in anguish.

"Aaaah! Kurt?" Also recognising my voice he stopped, looking up. I wasn't sure which of us was more shocked.

"What are you doing?" The question came out of our mouths simultaneously – I paused, waiting for him to go first. After all, if he had been doing this to Blaine he had some serious explaining to do.

"I, I just came here, to talk to Blaine."

"About what? He's not here."

"Um…" Gabriel looked like he didn't want to answer. Rage boiled inside of me.

"Gabriel, if you don't tell me _right now_-"

"-Ok ok! If you really want to know I was going to ask him about you!" I stopped.

"What?"

"Well you've been really good to me recently with my trig tutoring and stuff, so I wanted to surprise you with something. I figured Blaine would be the best person to ask." Oh darn it. Immediately I put my camera down, switching it off. I was a complete idiot.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry." I said, guilt rushing through me. I helped Gabriel to his feet and he seemed confused.

"What is this all about Kurt? And why are you dressed like that?" Glancing down at my outfit I laughed.

"Oh, yeah, this. I'm staking out."

"Staking out? What? Why?"

"Blaine thinks someone is stalking him with all the stuff that's been happening to him recently – I know it sounds ridiculous but things have been so bad recently that I'm willing to do anything. So I thought I'd try and catch the culprit red handed."

"By dressing up like a Russian?" I laughed again.

"Well you didn't recognise me did you?"

"True." My fellow Wildeian laughed, before looking back down the empty corridor. "So when I came down here…" I grimaced, looking back at his arm, which looked like it was already bruising.

"…I thought you were the stalker. I'm so sorry, but nobody has been down here in ages and you sounded like you were sneaking."

"It's ok. I didn't want to wake anyone up. It is dark you know. But I understand. If I'd been in your position I would have thought the same too." Gabriel smiled and I grimaced again. How could I have accused him? If anything Gabriel had helped me with Blaine instead of hindering him.

"So nobody has come down here in ages?" I sighed.

"Yeah, it's been like a ghost town. I'm so bored."

"Well if Blaine's not here I haven't got anything else to do – do you want some company?"

* * *

"Pass a Red Vine." Gabriel had gone back to Wilde to get some more supplies and his own disguise – I laughed at the huge coat he brought – it completely drowned him. As I placed the candy in my mouth I glanced over at my friend, who looked pensive.

"What's up?"

"I'm just a bit worried. If someone is stalking Blaine, then they're obviously pretty dangerous."

"Look," I began, placing a comforting hand on his "I don't seriously think Blaine is being stalked. I just want to check he's ok. Besides, I don't think there's anyone that could."

"What about Xavier?" I sighed.

"Whilst I hate Xavier with every fire of my being, and would _love_ for him to be tipped on his sorry ass and carted out of here, I just don't see him as the petty revenge type. He would have made it a lot more obvious it was him if he was doing this. No, if it is one person then it's gotta be someone with real problems – maybe some long standing issue with him…" I paused, thinking… "But there's nobody here like that, so we're good."

"I hope so." Gabriel looked nervous – I gave his shoulder a comical shake.

"I think I really just wanted to wear this hat – do I suit it?"

"Yeah, the Russian look is very good on you." Both of us laughing we leant back and stared up into the roof of the closet.

* * *

Thinking about Gabriel's original mission made me feel sad. It was a shame he had so few friends – I had never understood why that was. Admittedly he did seem strange at first, but once you got to know him he was a lovely guy. With all the rules about tolerance at Dalton it seemed odd that that one was ignored. And then there was that weird thing about his family…

"Tell me more about yourself." Suddenly I turned over and spoke. I knew it was a corny line and the death of any date (saying it reminded me of the last person I had asked it to, and how it had turned out…) but this wasn't one so we were ok. Gabriel looked surprised.

"Um…what?"

"Well, we are friends." I turned onto my side and looked coyly at him. "I feel like I know barely anything about you."

"You know I suck at Trig."

"No you don't, because you have an amazing, gorgeous tutor. I mean _you_ you, like your family, your past."

"Do you really wanna know about that?" Ergh. He was being awkward. I finally gave in.

"Ok _fine_ – everyone's always talking about you and your Dad and I want to know what the Prada they're going on about!" Gabriel laughed, making me blush.

"Well. At least you're honest." For a second I wondered if he still wasn't going to answer, before realising that he was preparing himself.

"Ok. Here it is. People always talk about my Dad because, well, he's kind of famous."

"Ooh!" I squealed, clapping my hands together. (The fact that we were on a stakeout and therefore supposed to be quiet had completely left my mind – if anyone walked in on us now they were going to wonder what the hell we were doing.) "Do I know him?" Frantically my brain searched for any famous Fostons but came up blank. Maybe he had a stage name…

"He's not on Broadway if that's what you mean." I tried to hide my disappointment and Gabriel smiled. There went my front row tickets to Wicked…

"Have you ever heard of Goliath National Bank?" I spluttered.

"Heard of it? It's the biggest bank in America! My dad has all our savings with them. What, does he work there or something?" Gabriel grimaced.

"Not quite. He owns it."

* * *

My mouth dropped to the floor.

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?"  
"Kurt, shut up! People will hear us!"

"Are you SERIOUS? YOUR DAD?"

"Yes yes, now be quiet!" Realising my volume I quickly calmed myself down, but my mouth still hung open slightly like I was catching flies. _Seriously_?

"Oh my Gaga…"

"I get this reaction from everyone. That's why I don't like to tell people."

"Well it seems like the whole school knows. Isn't he like, some kind of lothario?" Gabriel sighed, rubbing his temple.

"Yeah. That's actually how him and my Mum split up – he cheated on her with some twenty year old stripper."

"Oh, Prada, that's terrible." Reaching out my hand I patted his shoulder comfortingly. It seemed like a patronising gesture but I was genuinely sorry. Gabriel seemed to lean into it and sighed.

"I know. My father's a bit of a jerk. But he still manages to somehow control my life. And my mother joins in with him." My eyebrows furrowed.

"What? Your mother supports him?"

"The divorce was only to save her reputation. She still loves him. God knows why but she does."

"Jeez. That sucks." There was no other way to put it.

"Tell me about it." For a while we sat in silence, me pondering what I had just heard. So this was the mystery behind Gabriel. It was a lot stranger than I had been expecting. And kind of heart breaking. I wondered how I ever could have ever have found him creepy.

"You know you always have people here that care about you." I said suddenly. Gabriel looked up, seeming surprised. "I mean, parents can be sucky sometimes. I haven't exactly had the best childhood in that department – dead Mom, Dad remarrying... Not that Carol isn't amazing, because she is. But I totally could have had the evil step-mother thing going on." A small chuckle escaped from my friend's lips. The torchlight bounced off his cheekbones in a way that made me stop and stare for a couple of seconds. "What I'm trying to say is that things do get better. And in the meantime we will always be there."

"You mean _you_ will." I looked surprised.

"Don't be silly! You have Blaine and Scott and everyone else." Gabriel laughed.

"Oh Kurt. You know they only hang out with me because of you. They think I'm weird."

"Well that's because they don't know you the way I do." Shifting myself to face him directly I took Gabriel's hands and forced him to look into my eyes. "You're a great person to be around."

"It's ok. I don't mind. Even if you're the only friend I ever have, I wouldn't care. You make me feel safe." As those grey eyes stared back at mine I felt a fizzle of energy surge through us – a connection I'd never felt before. A smile graced my face.

"I'm glad."

* * *

Suddenly a bang sounded from outside. I shot to my feet, my hands separating from Gabriel's and shoved my nose eagerly through the crack in the door, fumbling around for my camera.

"Is someone there?" Gabriel whispered, standing up behind me so I could feel his breath on my neck. My eyes strained to see anything in the dim light, but when I acclimatised to my disappointment I saw the door to the bathroom swinging back and forth.

"Nope." I said, turning back in frustration. "False alarm."

"You don't think, that maybe Blaine's making this up do you?" As we both sat back down Gabriel spoke. He spoke gingerly, like he didn't want to offend, but his eyes told me he was serious.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he has been under a lot of stress recently. He could be getting a tad paranoid." I paused, looking at him for a few seconds. He did have a point. And if the attack on Xavier at Regionals was any indication, he had strong grounds to be right.

"I dunno." I replied, playing with the toggles on my coat. "Blaine's not the sort of person to do that. He knows how much I worry." Gabriel stretched his mouth awkwardly, seeing my hesitance.

"Well Blaine isn't exactly acting like himself recently is he?" I sighed. It did all add up. If Blaine really was stressed enough to start making stuff up, things were even more serious than I had previously thought. This wasn't a prank war or some stupid grudge. He needed help.

"What should I do?" I asked after a couple of seconds. I couldn't exactly confront him about it – it would probably only make things worse.

"Maybe you should spend some time apart, give him time to sort out his issues." My eyes flashed up to Gabriel, worry gracing them. I didn't like that idea. I didn't like it at all. "I mean if he has to think about you then he's not focusing on himself."

"But…"

"And they say absence makes the heart grow fonder…" My friend seemed pretty sure of his words – it was the first time he had ever challenged me with real conviction. I bit my lip nervously, a million different thoughts rushing through my brain at once. Why were things so damn complicated?

"I'm not saying you have to listen to me." Gabriel continued after a while, shifting his hand so it gently brushed against mine – a comforting, friendly gesture. "Do whatever you want – it's your relationship. I'm just saying what I think." I smiled weakly, rubbing his knuckle with my thumb.

"Thanks."

* * *

"Maybe we should get out of this cupboard." A couple of seconds later I broke the silence. Gabriel seemed to shake himself awake and laughed.

"Yeah, maybe we should."

"I'm cold." I spoke without even realising as we stood, surprised when my friend took his coat off and draped it round his shoulders.

"Damn Russian fashion eh?" He smiled and I smiled back, linking my fingers with his as we exited Wordsworth into the crisp evening air.


	40. Virus

Hi guys!

OMG DARREN CRISS WAS AMAZING! Like literally, amazing. Lots of you asked me about it so here is a link to the huge blog I made about it on tumblr.

http :/lizloz .tumblr .com /post/ 7302209512

(with spaces cause ff. net is a bitch)

Anyways - here is the new chapter, sorry about the one day delay, I have been a writing fiend this weekend! Ngl this chapter absolutely killed me :( Enjoy...

Liz xxx

* * *

**Chapter 40 - Virus**

"Earth to Kurt." The hand being waved in my face brought me back to reality and I shook myself awake. Scott looked at me with wide eyes. It was very unusual for him to paying more attention in Trig than I was.

"Dude, what is with you today? Did you not sleep or something?" I sighed, looking up briefly at Conners, who was pointing out something on the board that just looked like squiggles.

"I was busy." Scott grumbled, obviously not impressed with my answer.

"Would be nice if you could include me in your busyness sometimes." Choosing to ignore the statement I glanced back at my page and began writing notes, trying not to think about my evening with Gabriel and how my back still hurt from our awkward sitting positions.

* * *

When we left Trig Scott still seemed off with me, but my plans to confront him were stopped by seeing Blaine leaning casually against the wall on the opposite side of the corridor.

"Hi." He said, a smile gracing his face that immediately sent my legs to jelly.

"Hi." Scott grumbled some more, stalking off so we were left alone. I walked slowly over to my boyfriend and when I was close enough felt him slip his hands around my waist.

"How are you today?" He spoke with a grin and I giggled, rubbing my nose against his before kissing him softly. Gaga he still tasted so good.

"Tired."

"Aww, baby really? What were you doing?" For a second my face fell with anxiety, but I managed to control myself.

"Oh, just boring stuff. It sucked."

"Well I hope you're not too tired to come over to mine tonight?" Running his hands up my back so they dug into my shoulder blades Blaine's voice went back to coy and my face blushed bright red. Prada I was so turned on right now. This made it even harder to follow through with my plan.

"Um…" My teeth worried against my bottom lip, still pondering wussing out. "…I can't." Immediately my boyfriend's face dropped.

"Oh. Why not?"

"Um…" This was killing me. Blaine seemed to sense my reluctance and rubbed my shoulders again, moving his face in closer.

"We can study. If you want…" Argh.

"Blaine, don't." Now he looked disappointed.

"Kurt, if there's another reason why please tell me. No secrets remember." Well there was no going back now. Slipping my arms around his neck so he wouldn't run away I took a deep breath and spoke.

"Well…I just think…maybe…we should spend some time apart…"

"Are you breaking up with me?" The horror that spread across Blaine's face made my stomach drop.

"_NO_! NO not at ALL!" Frantically trying to prove my point I kissed him passionately, however afterwards Blaine pushed me away, confused.

"Then what? What is it?" I bit my lip again.

"Well, with what's been going on recently, all the stress that you've been under…maybe it's best if I don't add to it." Now fully understanding, my boyfriend sighed deeply.

"Oh Lord. Not you as well. Don't you think that maybe you are the only thing that alleviates my stress?" Now I paused. Really? I had never thought of it in that way. "That seeing you is the one thing that keeps me going through the day?" His arms now back round my waist I felt his fingers stroke my hipbone and his face rest against my forehead, breathing in my scent.

"Oh Kurt. Please don't take that away." Man. What had I been thinking?

"I'm sorry." Moving my own hands to stroke the back of his neck we stood in silence for a couple of seconds, just marvelling in each other. Gaga I loved him so much.

"You've not been talking to someone have you?" Blaine suddenly asked, pulling away to look me in the eye. "To prompt this?" Darn it. I sighed again.

"Maybe I spoke to Gabriel about it…" My boyfriend's eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh great. _Gabriel_. I bet he told you to call the time out too."

"Gabriel was just offering advice," I defended, hurt by his negative reaction, "which to a degree I agreed with. But now I've seen the other side and I promise if you need me I will be there." Staring up into Blaine's eyes trying to convey my conviction I sighed in relief when he relaxed, obviously accepting my apology.

"So are you coming over tonight?" He asked hopefully.

"Of course." I replied with a smile. "But we do need to study too."

"Ok boss. Whatever you say." Smiling, I pressed another kiss to his lips, before we walked off hand in hand down the corridor.

* * *

I looked away from my mirror at the sound of a knock on the door. Putting the final touches to my hair I skipped over and opened it with a flourish.

"Oh, hey Gabriel!" He looked happy to see me, a grin stretching across his face that I mirrored.

"You look lovely today." He commented, making me blush.

"Thank you. I was just sorting out my hair."

"Well it looks fabulous." Looking away to hide another flush of my cheeks I ran my fingers down my blazer nervously.

"So, what's up?"

"Well…" Gabriel smiled, "I was hoping if you were free we could have another tutoring session? I have a test tomorrow that I really wanna do well in." Oh darn.

"Ah." I replied, annoyed that I was going to be found out so easily. "I can't."

"Oh. Why not?" Gabriel looked upset. I looked away again, this time out of awkwardness and bit my lip.

"I'm spending the evening at Blaine's…"

"_Kurt!"_ My friend sounded exasperated – when I gathered up the courage to look he had his hand on his hips and an unimpressed look on his face. "I thought you said you were going to give him _space_?"

"Yeah." I mumbled, still fiddling with my blazer. "I tried. But he needs me. He said I was the only thing keeping _away_ his stress."

"Well, that's just the kind of emotional blackmail you want to avoid. But oh well. I guess I can see your point." Gabriel looked like he was going to leave – I felt guilt rush through he at the thought of upsetting him, but suddenly he stopped.

"Can I just show you something I found on the computer? It's this really cool programme I think we can use in our sessions."

"Um, yeah, ok." The hopefully look on his face had swayed me. After all – I wasn't due at Blaine's for another ten minutes. Five with Gabriel wouldn't hurt.

"Awesome. Thanks." A smile back on his face my friend sat down at my computer and began typing in an url.

"Oh." Suddenly he paused. "I can't remember the password." Turning around to me I was hit with those murky grey eyes once more. "Could you do me a favour and get it from my room? I wrote it down on a piece of paper – it should be on my desk." I pondered the request for a moment, wondering if I should make some jokey comment about him doing it himself, but then nodded my head.

"Yeah sure, I'll be one second."

* * *

To be honest – I'd been wanting to have a look around Gabriel's room for ages. There was something about him that was so intriguing that I was desperate to discover more. His room was another piece to the puzzle that was Gabriel Foston.

When I reached the door I gingerly pushed it open. Gabriel had told me it would be unlocked but I was wary of disturbing his roommate. Thankfully they didn't seem to be there. Stepping inside I scanned my eyes round the room. It was fairly tidy – it looked like it had been done recently and I wondered with a smile if Gabriel had been expecting visitors. There weren't many knick-knacks or pictures around like in my room – it seemed strange but I guessed everyone wasn't the same. For a second I just wandered around, peering at things and feeling very nosey, but eventually I looked for what I had actually come in for. Picking up the piece of paper on Gabriel's desk I hurried back to my room – hoping I hadn't been too long for it to look suspicious.

Upon re-entering my room Gabriel immediately turned round, smiling.

"Did you get it?" He asked. Handing over the paper with an equally large smile he nodded, before typing in the details. The site appeared and I leaned forward to look at it. It seemed like something we'd looked at in class.

"Oh yeah, Conners showed us this, it's pretty good." Gabriel immediately looked annoyed.

"Great." He said, stopping. "I just made you run off to my room for something that's not even new to you." He closed the window angrily and I immediately put my hand on his shoulder.

"_Hey_. You're not in my class. You wouldn't know that."

"I'm sorry, I'll leave you be now." Abruptly he stood up – I wanted to stop him but knew I would have to leave for Blaine's soon anyway.

"Hang out tomorrow?" I asked hopefully. At this Gabriel smiled and I relaxed.

"Sure. Have fun tonight." And with that, he was gone.

* * *

I'd barely knocked on the door to Blaine's room when it opened. My boyfriend was dressed in his pyjamas and I smiled at the homage to our previous romantic evenings together.

"Hi." He said, happy to see me but obviously disappointed that I was still clothed in my uniform.

"Bit early for bed isn't it?" I asked with a smile. Blaine responded by pulling me into the room and smashing our lips together.

"You look so cute in that blazer." He said after a couple of swipes over my teeth with his tongue, walking us backwards so he thunked softly against the wall and pressed my back towards him. "However I prefer it off." Hands slipped up my sides and I felt the heavy fabric loosen around my shoulder and fall to the floor. Man, how did he do that?

"Blaine." I breathed, trying to sound scolding but just seeming turned on. Not giving me time to say anything more my boyfriend pushed us forward and we stumbled towards the sofa. Gaga that piece of furniture was probably scarred for life from the make out scenes it had witnessed.

Falling down onto the cushions Blaine set about loosening my tie, pulling it slowly apart as he kissed me deeper and deeper, straddling me with his legs. I knew I should be stopping this right now but OH! Oh Sweet Gaga where did he have his hands? Blaine! _Blaine…_

"I love you." He whispered, lifting his head just above mine so he could stare into my eyes. Surely this was helping him with his stress. Surely there was no reason for me to end it here, I mean we were having fun…

"Kurt?" Suddenly Blaine stopped. I let out a whimpering noise, pulling him closer so our lips bumped together, but he didn't kiss me.

"Don't stop Blaine." I whined, poking out my tongue between the gap and trying to touch his teeth. My boyfriend pulled away.

"You looked, _pained_ Kurt."

"What?" I still couldn't understand why we'd stopped, the ache in my lower body beginning to become unbearable.

"Just then, when we were kissing. You looked pained." Suddenly I realised and slumped down into the cushions, sighing. I'd been thinking so much about how Blaine might be stressing I'd ended up stressing out myself.

"What's wrong?" My boyfriend moved so he was lying beside me and I laughed, wrapping my arm around his waist.

"Nothing. Ironically I was worrying about you." Blaine looked puzzled.

"So I'm worrying about you worrying about me?" I smiled.

"Something like that." Returning the smile now he knew everything was ok, Blaine immediately went back to kissing me. I sighed as his tongue duelled with mine once more but knew this was the time to get serious.

"We still need to talk you know." I said, breaking away. Blaine whined in almost the exact way I had and I shoved him gently – wondering how we ever got anything done when we were both so in love with each other.

"About what's gone on."

"What's there to talk about? We know it's Xavier."

"But do you have any proof?"

"No. I just know." He went to kiss me again, obviously not wanting to go any further but I stopped him.

"Blaine. I thought we said we were going to be there for each other. And me letting you just push this under the rug is _not_ being there for you."

"_You could just let me kiss you, that would be being there for me_." He mumbled, looking annoyed. I turned his face towards me and pressed a very chaste kiss to his lips.

"I love you no matter how bad things get. So I want you to tell me everything. Are you ok?" Finally Blaine seemed to give in. He stretched, revealing at bit of skin around his waist that had me blushing, and curled his arm around my shoulders, allowing me to snuggle in as he gently stroked my collarbone.

"I am actually. Things haven't been so bad lately. I think Xavier-" I shot him a knowing look, "-or whoever is doing this has laid off a bit. Plus I have you now to take my mind off things." As I looked up to see his smiling face staring back down at me I sighed, wondering how on earth I had ever found a boyfriend so perfect. Once all this was finally over with I was going to take him out on the most romantic date possible – show him how much I cared.

"What are you smiling about?" I realised Blaine must have noticed my expression and blushed, making him run his finger along my cheek as if he was savouring the colour.

"Just you. Being you."

"Well I'm glad I make you smile." He moved his hand to slide cheekily down my side, sliding into my trouser pocket before pulling something out of it.

"What's this?" Craning my head to look I laughed.

"Oh, just my memory stick." I'd brought it with me on the off chance of actually doing work – Gabriel must have knocked it off the floor when he'd used my computer because I'd had to search frantically for it before I'd left. Realising its purpose Blaine laughed, before pulling up us into a sitting position.

"Well come on. If you have work to do let's do it. You can bring my laptop here and I can help you."

"Or just distract me with your adorable charm." I replied with a smile.

"Or that."

* * *

As I bounded over to grab Blaine's laptop from his desk I stopped briefly to glance at the many photos of us stuck to his wall. There seemed to be a few more each time I visited. Pretty soon we were going to be able to fill a whole house with them.

"Why do you have this one up?" I said, untacking one of them and bringing it over as I returned to the sofa. Blaine opened up his arms so I could sit down and wrapped them around me, resting his chin on my shoulder and crossing his legs so he was almost like a human chair.

"My hair looks terrible in it." I pointed to the photo, stabbing a finger against my face accusationally and Blaine chuckled.

"Kurt – you could walk through a wind tunnel and then be pulled through a hedge backwards and you would still look completely gorgeous." He kissed me lightly on the nose and I sighed, trying to hide the immense flutter that rocked my heart.

"Now you know that's not true. Even Lady Gaga couldn't rock the 'backwards through a hedge look'" As we both laughed, the tone taking on a blissful quality that made every part of me burst with happiness, I logged onto the computer and smiled. Gabriel had been totally wrong. Blaine needed me and I needed him. It just wasn't good for us to be apart.

"What work do you need to do?" Blaine asked as his desktop flashed up, displaying many different folders all filled with three years work. Again his background was a picture of us and I waved the mouse around his face, circling it like a halo.

"Oh, just some Trig stuff. I feel like I need to get on top of things what with Gabriel almost at the same stage as me now." I plugged my memory stick in and opened it up to retrieve the file that contained the equation I'd been working on. "Here we are."

Suddenly the whole screen went black.

"What?" Confused I clicked the screen, wondering if I'd accidentally put it onto sleep. Nothing happened.

"What did you do?" Blaine asked, not sounding too concerned. I looked back at him, worried that this didn't seem to be normal for him.

"I don't know. I didn't do anything." Suddenly the screen started whirring again. I sighed in relief, moving the mouse about waiting for my work to reappear, before a message flashed up on the screen that made my blood run cold.

**Deleting all files…**

"_WHAT_?" Immediately I began to panic. Blaine went stiff, letting go of me and sitting up. My finger started pressing buttons rapidly, trying desperately to halt whatever was happening. This couldn't be happening. I hadn't even done anything.

"KURT WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Blaine shouted.

"I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW!" The green bar across the screen was moving further, deleting every file off Blaine's computer. Files he had spent years making.

"OH MY GAGA! OH MY GAGA!"

"THE MEMORY STICK! TAKE IT OUT!" Grabbing hold of my memory stick I yanked it out of the computer, thowing it across the room in sheer terror. The computer whirred to a stop, before shutting down completely.

* * *

Silence fell over the room. I didn't dare look back at Blaine for fear of what his expression would be. He had moved back into the sofa so no parts of us were touching anymore.

"Blaine I-"

"-Forget it." My boyfriend snapped, not even letting me continue. He went to stand up and I finally turned round, grabbing hold of his arm.

"Blaine I'm so sorry! I have no idea what happened I-"

"-What _happened_ is that everything on my computer just got _deleted! EVERYTHING!_" The rage on his face scared me – I wanted to back away but knew it would be the excuse he needed.

"I didn't mean to! I swear!"

"Well it was _your_ memory stick! _You_ did this! Are you with them now? Are you trying to ruin my life too?" Oh Gaga. Tears had already begun to stream down my face and I knew they would do me no favours. Blaine shook my hand away like he was dealing with a pest and looked across the room, fuming.

"Of course not! Blaine I love you – I would _never_ do anything to hurt you!"

"Get out." The words stung me like whiplash. No. This was not happening.

"Blaine, no, please-" I pleaded, fumbling to get off the sofa. My boyfriend spun round.

"You wanna _be there_ for me? Then take this piece of crap," picking up the discarded memory stick off the floor and throwing it at me violently so I cowered away he spat his words, "and _get out_."

* * *

When I reached my room I was a mess. Looking down at the memory stick clutched in my hand I screamed, hurling it into my bin and hitting myself in the head with my hands several times. NO NO NO! This was _not_ how things were supposed to go! How had that even happened? I hadn't seen on any sites, hadn't downloaded anything dodgy. And now everything on Blaine's computer was gone. Oh my Gaga.

Throwing myself onto my bed I tried frantically to think of all the times I had previously used my stick – anyone I might have leant it to. I wracked my brain so hard it began to hurt and I cried out again, smacking the bed with my fists. Suddenly however, a memory flashed up. Gabriel's visit. I hadn't given it to him, but maybe he'd borrowed it for something whilst I'd been out of the room.

Buoyed by my new inspiration I sat up, rubbing my face and scrabbling about for my phone. I needed to have a serious talk with him. Or even better – he was definitely in tonight. My feet hit the floor with new vigour and I marched towards the door. If Gabriel had done this, accident or not, then he-

"Gabriel?" I froze in the doorway – my mouth open in shock. The man of the moment stood in front of me – just the person I had been about to stalk over to and have a go at. He looked terrible.

"Oh my Gaga Gabriel what's wrong?" Pushing my anger aside I stepped forward, resting a hand gingerly on my friend's shoulder. Gabriel dragged his red tearstained face up to look at me and his lip trembled.

"Eli broke up with me."

* * *

It was like the last piece of energy had been drained from his body – Gabriel's feet suddenly gave way and I lunged forward to catch him before he tumbled to the floor. As I hauled him to his feet he suddenly began sobbing – large loud sobs that gradually grew into cries so I had to rub his back and rock us backwards and forwards.

"Oh Gabriel, I'm so sorry." I said soothingly, now completely forgetting my own problems to focus on this. "I'm so sorry."

Gabriel was surprisingly heavy, so it took me a while to drag him inside my room. Thankfully when we reached the bed he managed to regain enough strength to haul himself on, but then immediately started crying again. I jumped on beside him as quickly as I could and enveloped him in a hug.

"Gabriel, Gabriel," I said a comfortingly as I could, rubbing my hands up and down his shoulders "you have to tell me what happened. I'm here."

"Oh God." Gabriel spluttered, his voice strangled from the tears. "It was horrible." He went to start crying again but I pulled his face up towards mine and he composed himself. "I thought things were going so well. He was so perfect and, and I thought I loved him. But then ever since Regionals he started acting real funny – not returning any of my calls. And then…" more tears brimmed in his eyes, "…then he called and said it was over. He'd found someone else!" Not able to hold himself back any longer Gabriel cried out and I pulled him in towards me, allowing him to cry for a while so I felt my shirt beginning to get damp.

"Sssh," I said after a while, rocking us backwards and forwards gently, "sssh…" The emotions were all too familiar – for a second I was taken back to last winter – huddled against Scott on my bed with my face raw and my throat sore from howling. I knew how gutted I had felt with Blaine – like my whole life had been sucked up and made meaningless. I was going to stand by Gabriel and help him whatever.

* * *

For a while we didn't say anything. Gabriel slipped his arms round me and I didn't pull away, just tightened my grip on him and stroked his hair softly. When he finally spoke again I looked at him with care in my eyes.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, his voice still cracked and tired. "I'm sorry for putting this on you."

"No, sssh, it's fine Gabriel." I tried to reply, not wanting to stress him out more.

"Weren't you supposed to be with Blaine? What happened?" I sighed, not wanting to have to bring it up.

"Something happened. An accident. Blaine got mad at me."

"Blaine got mad?" My friend sat up, worry on his face. "You have to go and talk to him! Sort this out!" He went to get to his feet but I pulled him down, making his face crash against my chest.

"No. That's not important now. What's important is _you_. That _you're_ ok." I locked my eyes with his – trying to make it as clear as possible that this was what I wanted. To be honest I was glad to think about something else for a while. For a second Gabriel just stared at me, his gaze taking on a quality I hadn't seen before. Then he sighed.

"Oh Kurt. Everything is such a mess."

"I know." I replied, letting him bury his head into the base of my neck and shake some more as new tears began to fall. "I know…"


	41. Mistake

_Another chapter for y'all!_

_For one of my lovely readers - I can assure you the story has not finished! When it does indeed end you can be sure I will tell you :D It's getting near but there will be at least three or four more chapters after this one._

_These next two chapters are the killers - be prepared for tears, angst and lots of drama..._

_(Also for those of you that wanted smut I just posted a oneshot yesterday. Go check it out :D)_

_Liz xxx_

* * *

**Chapter 41 - Mistake**

I awoke groggily the next morning, unsure as to where I was. Something stirred beside me and I rubbed my eyes to see Gabriel snuggled up to my chest, his head buried into my collarbone and his arm wrapped around my waist. For a second I was shocked – before I remembered the events of last night and calmed down slightly. He was bound to be clingy at this point.

Moving slowly so I didn't disturb him I inched myself up and immediately began trying to sort out my hair. I was still in my uniform and it was crumpled beyond belief – I would have to pick out a new shirt for today at least. As I walked over to the mirror Gabriel stirred and seemed panicked to find nobody beside him. As his hand frantically patted around the bed I laughed and he looked up, before sighing.

"Morning." I said with a smile, picking up my comb and running it through my hair. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, in fact." Gabriel rubbed his eyes and I smiled again. He did look adorable first thing in the morning. I was going to grab a towel and suggest we both hit the bathroom before a knock sounded at my door. Immediately I froze.

"Who could that be…?" I mumbled under my breath, before slowly walking over. "Stay there." I motioned for Gabriel to stay put and carefully opened the door so I could peek my head out.

* * *

Oh Prada.

"Kurt." Blaine stood in the hallway, looking more than a little tired. There were dark circles under his eyes and all I wanted to do was reach up and kiss them.

"Blaine." I responded. I was happy to see him – of course I was. But this was really bad. If he saw who was in my room he was not going to take to it kindly.

"I just want to say sorry for yesterday." My boyfriend began, obviously having prepared the speech beforehand. My stomach twisted with nerves and guilt. "I overreacted. Of course it wasn't your fault my stuff got deleted."

"Blaine," I interrupted, trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible. "It's ok, I understand…"

"But I was so horrible to you. I feel terrible. You are the best thing in my life at the moment and I pushed you away." I'd been about to cut him off, but at his final words stopped. Oh man.

"Blaine…" I stepped forward, taking myself out into the hallway and closing the door behind me. "I'm so sorry." Bringing my hands up to cup his face we moved together and kissed softly. Blaine exhaled and pulled me closer, the feeling making my gut wrench further. As he deepened the kiss I tried to react but didn't want to upset him again. We continued until I felt him begin to push me towards the door and immediately stopped.

"Um, not right now Blaine." I said hurriedly, putting my hand across the frame. Blaine stopped.

"What?"

"I'm just…I have to get ready for class. It's early." I tried to look as innocent as possible and he pouted,

"Pleeeease." I felt a finger run across my collarbone and shivered, but stopped the kiss that came my way.

"No. You can't come in." My boyfriend's eyes narrowed.

"_Kurt._" He said, sounding worried. My heart began to pound. "What's in your room?"

"Nothing." I replied quickly, sounding panicked.

"Why can't we go in?" Blaine moved to push open the door and I immediately jumped in his way, my face flushing with fear.

"It's er, really messy! You don't want to go in there Blaine I'll get really embarrassed and it'll affect my feng shui." I knew it was no use. Blaine was now bordering on angry and it was only a matter of time before he barged past and saw Gabriel in my bed.

"_Kurt_, let me past _now_." I tried to fight back but my boyfriend was too strong. As I heard the door open I closed my eyes and waited for the storm to come my way.

* * *

"_**WHAT**_?_**!**_"

Oh my Gaga, it was even worse than I'd thought. Opening my eyes almost as instantly as I'd closed them I saw Blaine storm inside my room. Frantically I ran after only to see him storm up to the bed and grab Gabriel by the scruff of the neck, smashing him against the wall.

"BLAINE!" I screamed out – hoping it would make him stop and let my friend go. It seemed to have half the desired effect – Blaine swivelled his head round to glare at me but his grip still stayed firm on Gabriel's neck.

"WHAT IS THIS?" The rage in his voice was something I'd never heard before – even more terrifying than last night. Gabriel squirmed in Blaine's grasp – his eyes bulging and his face slowly turning red.

"Blaine! Please let him go!" I pleaded, trying to step forward. Blaine dropped Gabriel to the floor but picked him up by his blazer and shook him violently.

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH KURT?"

"Blaine!" I shrieked, finally running over and wrenching him away. My boyfriend fought and almost elbowed me in the face but I managed to turn him to face me, filled with my own adrenaline.

"Blaine! It's not what it seems!"

"OH REALLY? SO YOU LET OTHER GUYS JUST _RANDOMLY_ SLEEP IN YOUR BED EVERY DAY EH?" He was so angry that for a second I couldn't think of anything to say.

"It was nothing I promise-"

"-YOU! SHUT YOUR MOUTH YOU LITTLE RAT!" Gabriel had tried to speak out but Blaine silenced him, shouting so loud that he cowered into the floor.

"Blaine!"

"GET OUT!" He screamed, turning back to my friend. "GET OUT! I never want to see your face near my boyfriend EVER AGAIN!" Not wanting to stick around Gabriel scrambled to his feet – I wanted to offer him my support but had my own problems to deal with right now.

* * *

As soon as the door closed Blaine suddenly collapsed. His anger turned to tears and I suddenly felt like a hole had been ripped in my heart.

"How could you _DO_ this to me Kurt?" He shouted, clutching his chest. I immediately went to comfort him but he pushed me away.

"Blaine! It was nothing!"

"IT WASN'T NOTHING! If it was nothing you wouldn't have tried to hide it from me!"

"Gabriel and Eli split up!" I finally managed to get out the words I had been trying to say for the past few minutes. Blaine stopped.

"What?"

"They split up. Last night. _That's_ why Gabriel came to see me. Why he spent the night, in…here." For a second Blaine didn't say anything. He was still shaking with anger, and I knew I was most definitely not out of the woods, but he wasn't going to smash anything.

"He came to talk to you about it?"

"Yes. And I helped him. I know how it feels to lose someone you love – how gut-wrenching it can be. So I helped him. And he ended up sleeping here."

"Why didn't you tell me about it – you could have told me instead of hiding him away like some secret lover!"

"Because I figured if you found out about it you'd still take it in the wrong way. And I was right, wasn't I?" Blaine shouted in annoyance, hitting the wall with his fists so I jumped. He looked torn between wanting to shout at me and pull me into a warm embrace. I was fighting the same battle.

"I can't believe he slept in your bed."

"That was an accident – it just happened-"

"-It took WEEKS for you to want to sleep in my bed – and what, he just _waltzes_ up and hops in first time? That was _our_ thing Kurt. _Our thing._" Holy Prada. This had really upset him. The guilt from before had now grown into a suffocating force, so I touched my neck briefly to check nothing was there.

"Blaine, I'm…"

"_Goddamit_ Kurt!"

"_Blaine_." Finally biting the bullet I stepped forward, cautious at first, and gingerly placed my hand on my boyfriend's shoulder. He didn't shake me off.

"I would _never, __**never**_, cheat on you. I _love_ you. You are the most important thing to me in the world. And I would be an idiot to throw that away." Blaine didn't look up at me, still leaning against the wall with his arms outstretched and his head hung. He sighed and I began to rub my hand up towards his neck, feeling his muscles relax the way they always did.

"Blaine. _Please_…" Finally after what seemed like hours my boyfriend turned round. I threw my arms around him and buried my face into his neck.

"Oh Gaga, I'm so sorry, Blaine, I love you, I'm sorry…" I was still mumbling incoherent nonsense when he pulled me up to face him – those hazel eyes making my heart ache all over again.

"Gabriel never stays in here again." The words came from his mouth plainly, emotionless, but firm. "_Never_."

"Yes, ok, of course."

"I love you."

"I love you too." Our mouths met again and I sighed, never wanting to let go.

* * *

The rest of the day was totally awkward. Scott seemed to have heard about what had happened and wouldn't talk to me during Trig or Spanish. I thought it was a little immature but wasn't going to bring it up and be part of another fight. I immediately went to search out Gabriel when class ended and we had a long conversation in his room about things. If Blaine had looked terrible he was still even worse. I had no idea what I was going to do, but somehow I was going to make these two parts of my world become one.

* * *

"Are you ok?" Blaine glanced at me from the drivers seat and nodded swiftly.

"I'm fine." We were travelling in his car – which had now been returned to its former glory (the fact we'd never found the culprit of that prank still nagged at the bottom of my mind) – Teenage Dream playing softly in the background so it mingled with the sound of the tyres on the road.

"Gabriel is trying to make amends."

"I know." We were on our way to a restaurant. Gabriel had been planning to go with Eli, but as things hadn't worked out there he'd given the evening to us as a chance to work things out. And forgive him. Not that I needed to do any forgiving.

"He feels terrible-" I began again, but Blaine shot me a look that said we needed to change the subject. As we pulled up in the restaurant parking lot I put my hand on his knee, leaning over and kissing him softly on the cheek.

"This is going to be fun."

* * *

As we stepped into the restaurant I was met with an ultimate sense of déjà vu. I was even going through the same emotions – unsure as to how I felt, how this was going to go. But that I wanted it to go well. We walked hand in hand to the waiter, who found our booking under Gabriel's name in the book and took us to our table, which was in almost the same place. If anyone recognised me they didn't say anything, or register the fact I was here with a different guy.

"This is nice isn't it?" I said cheerfully as we sat down opposite each other. Blaine smiled, rubbing my knuckles with his fingers and staring deep into my eyes.

"I could be anywhere with you and it would be nice." I smiled back, before picking up the menu and perusing it briefly.

"I remember when I last came here I was so worried about the price, but seeing as Gabriel's paying this time I don't have to worry." Laughing at my own joke I glanced over at my boyfriend. He didn't seem as amused.

"Kurt. Can we not talk about Gabriel for five seconds?" He said with a sigh. I paused.

"What? He _is_ paying for this meal."

"I know. But it's still _our _date." He motioned between the two of us pointedly and my eyebrows furrowed.

"Ok…" I took my gaze back to the menu and thumbed the buttons on my shirt nervously. Blaine seemed to sense he had upset me so pulled my hand out to stroke it again and I smiled.

"So, what are you going to order?" He asked. The side of his mouth quirked up in the most adorable way and I giggled, feeling like a thirteen year old again.

"Umm…" I pondered the question and Blaine's fingers ghosted over mine, circling the nails and running down the creases in my knuckles so I found it very hard to concentrate,

"I think I might get the paella. I have a thing for rice at the moment. And Spanish things." Blaine laughed, interlocking our fingers and he turned his attention to his own menu. "What about you?"

"Well…" He used his other free hand to run his fingers through his hair, his menu propped up on the table, "I was thinking of going for a good old classic steak."

"Oh! Gabriel went for that when we came here – I thought it was a really odd choice for him, he just picked around it like it was full of fat or something." I'd spoken without even realising. The words had tumbled out of my mouth as easily as breathing and a smile had graced my face as I thought back to the strange memory. As soon as Blaine removed his hand from mine however I was brought back to reality.

* * *

"For God's sake Kurt." My face dropped and Blaine sighed, now rubbing his face with his hands in frustration.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry but…it's kind of hard not to talk about him." I replied, but not completely apologetic. The realisation had come to me mid sentence. It was hard.

"No. It's not. You just _don't_ talk about him."

"Hey. That's harsh." Blaine laughed, putting his hands down on the table.

"You know what? It's not. You talk about Gabriel more than you talk about anyone. More than Scott, more than me. It's just Gabriel Gabriel Gabriel all the freakin time. I'm sick of it." I was shocked. Blaine had never said anything about this before. I didn't even think he minded my friendship with Gabriel. Where was this coming from?

"Blaine…" I said, still unable to understand, "this is…I don't know where this has come from…"

"That's it. You don't. You're just lost in your own little Gabriel filled world."

"Stop it! He's been through a lot!"

"_So have I!_ He's been dumped. I've had my car trashed, my possessions stolen, my reputation ruined _and_ my boyfriend taken away from me."

"I've not been taken! I'm here!"

"Yeah, but are you really? Or is your head with him?" I pondered the question for a millisecond. Was he right? Was my head elsewhere? Pausing for that split second though had been the wrong decision.

"Oh my God Kurt, the fact you even have to think about that is disturbing." Blaine went to get up but I grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back down.

"_Hey_. Don't you dare leave. We need to talk about this." Blaine nodded, shaking my hand away and smacking his palms down on the table as he sat back down, leaning forward as he looked me straight in the eye.

"Ok, yes, _let's talk_. You wanna know what _I_ think?"

"Of course."

"I think Gabriel is behind all of this." I paused.

"All of what?" Blaine's eyes bored into me like a drill.

"_This_." He waved his arms around the restaurant before smacking them down on the table with me. "I think he's the one that's been doing these things to me." Now I was the one to laugh.

"_WHAT_? Are you _serious?_"

"Deadly. Think about it. He was in love with you. But you chose me. Then all of a sudden he's suddenly ok with that? Maybe he decided to get in your good books and then sabotage me to get me out of the way."

"Oh Blaine _please_-"

"-_Maybe_ he got someone to trash my car and hung around you and helped clean up so nobody would think it was him. _Maybe_ he sneaked into my dorm when he knew I was with you and stole my planner. _Maybe_ he went through the changing rooms at Regionals and stole my tie." Oh my Prada. This was absurd. _Blaine_ was accusing _Gabriel_?

"Don't be ridiculous!" I exclaimed, offended that he would even suggest the option. "Gabriel has done nothing but help us out!"

"He was the last person to be in your room before that virus trashed my computer. He could have put that on before you went."

"Incase you've forgotten, _Gabriel_ was the one that got your computer fixed."

"Yeah – it's funny how he _always_ seems to be there to help out afterwards. And he knows _so much_ about what went on!" Now Blaine was shouting. Several other patrons of the restaurant had begun to look at us. I was worried we might get kicked out.

"Blaine, _calm down_" I hissed, lowering my own voice.

"No! I will not _calm down_! Gabriel is trying to ruin my life! Why did he have to choose this restaurant too? The one that _you and him_ went to?"

"Because he was going to go here with Eli!"

"Oh yes, _Eli_. He's probably not even real."

"Right. That's _it_." I put my own hands on the table with a thunk, surprising Blaine slightly. "I will _not_ have you bad mouthing my friend like this. It's insulting."

"I want you to stop seeing him." The words hit me like a slap. My mouth dropped open.

"_Excuse me_?"

"I want you to stop seeing Gabriel." Rage boiled uncontrollably inside me.

"How _dare_ you! How _dare_ you tell me who I can and cannot see!" I shouted, now not caring that the whole restaurant was probably looking at us. "I'm not your _property!_"

"I'm doing it for the both of us." Blaine replied, now seeming slightly more worried, but still very angry. "Can't you see what he's doing? He's manipulating you!"

"I think _you're_ the one that's manipulating me! Gabriel actually _cares_ about how I feel!"

"Kurt! Listen to yourself! This is what he wants! He's trying to split us up!"

"WELL HE'S DOING A GOOD JOB THEN!" I shouted the last words at the top of my voice, anger flowing through me. Blaine fell absolutely silent. As did the whole of the restaurant.

* * *

For a second nobody said anything. I could feel my whole body shaking with rage but didn't want to move. Then, in my head, I made my decision.

"I'm done with this." I moved to stand up and Blaine reacted instantly, panic flashing across his features.

"What? No! Kurt!" He grabbed hold of my sleeve but I jerked my arm away so he hit the edge of the table and cried out in pain. "You can't leave! You didn't let me leave!"

"You didn't have a reason to go." I responded, my voice full of venom. "I do."

"Kurt!" As I began to walk away from the table, my menu left discarded on my seat Blaine stood up. Immediately I swirled around, pointing my finger at him so he froze.

"I am leaving. If you try and follow me – we are _through_." The words echoed around the room. For a second I paused, waiting for him to protest, to follow me anyway and beg for forgiveness. To my surprise he didn't.

"Hmph." Spinning back round I marched out of the restaurant, making a mental note never to return there again. Ever.

* * *

When I reached the road I sat down on the edge of the curb, trying desperately to hold back the tears that were threatening to explode from my eyes. How could Blaine do that? How could he blame it all on Gabriel? I had to admit, I'd had my doubts initially – but Gabriel was one of the most caring, loving, wonderful individuals I had ever met. Oh hell.

After I called a taxi and brought my knees up to my chest to take away the cold, I typed another number into my phone.

"Hey, Gabriel? It's me. Everything went wrong. No, you don't need to come, I booked a taxi. Just be there when I get back."


	42. Cliffhanger

_Guys. It's here._

_You may hate me for this. I can safely say this is THE most intense, heartwrenching chapter I've ever written._

_Enjoy_

* * *

**Chapter 42 - Cliffhanger**

I awoke groggily again, unsure what had happened. This time I wasn't in my bed.

"Morning." At the sound of a voice I jerked upwards. Gabriel was standing by the mirror, wiping his face with a towel.

"Hey, easy." He said with a smile, noticing my reaction. "It's ok."

"What…?" I couldn't get the rest of the question out. I was still dressed in my clothes from last night.

"You and Blaine had a fight, you came back here, I helped you. You didn't want to sleep alone."

"You slept here too?"

"No. I was on the floor." I glanced round the room, still dazed. I couldn't see any evidence of any bedding on the floor, but figured Gabriel had probably cleaned it up. Abruptly I noticed his roommate, Sebastian, sitting in his bed. He was staring at me intently, as if I were an alien.

"Umm…" I went to get up, running my hand through my hair to try and flatten it down, when suddenly three loud knocks sounded on the door.

"_Great_." Gabriel sounded annoyed. He dropped his towel in a chair and walked over to the door, opening it halfway.

"Oh. Scott." Scott? Immediately I sat up.

"Is he in here?" My best friend sounded angry. He tried to get through the door but Gabriel stopped him.

"Kurt doesn't want to see anyone right now." He snapped.

"No, I'll see him." Jumping off the bed I walked towards the door, looking at Gabriel and signalling for him to let me past. My friend seemed pained, and for a second I thought he might stop me – eventually though he begrudgingly stepped back and I went out into the corridor.

* * *

"_What the hell are you doing?"_ I'd barely acknowledged him when Scott shoved me on the shoulder. I cried out but he slammed Gabriel's door shut so he couldn't come and save me.

"Scott! What are _you_ doing?"

"Sorry." Immediately my best friend was apologetic, patting the patch of shoulder he'd touched. I felt like flinching away but didn't.

"You should be."

"But DUDE! What are you doing?" I knew he was angry about Gabriel – he had reason to be. But it wasn't what it seemed.

"Gabriel's just helping me out."

"By letting you sleep in his bed?" When you and Blaine are having trouble?" It did look bad.

"I'll admit, I didn't plan on staying over, but Gabriel is the only person that understands what I'm going through. Blaine's accusations are ridiculous." Scott sighed, leaning his hand against the wall.

"Actually…" He said, sounding hesitant, "…they're not." Oh great.

"Not you as well!" I called out, anger gracing my tone, "Are you serious?"

"Gabriel's weird." Scott said, looking like he didn't like what he was saying. "The things Blaine is saying sound like they could have been done. I'm worried."

"For goodness sake! Don't you ever think about how Gabriel's feeling? Nobody ever cuts him any slack!"

"Kurt." My best friend leant forward, touching me gently on the shoulder and lowering his voice. "Blaine came to _me_. The person that a couple of months ago he couldn't _stand_. I'm all he has left."

"Well that's his problem." I said after a pause. "He shouldn't have accused Gabriel when he didn't have any proof. I love him, but he can't stop me from seeing people." Turning around to go back in the room Scott let out a cry, grabbing hold of me in desperation. I slapped his hand away.

"Stay out of this. It's not your fight." I looked at him, staring right in his eyes to show I was serious. Slowly my best friend dropped his hand away and sighed.

"Don't do this Kurt.

"I'm sorry, but I am."

* * *

When I shut the door to Gabriel's room behind me a deep sigh escaped from my lips. He was close by and walked over, holding out his arms for a hug. I buried my face in his shoulder and sighed again.

"Are you ok?" He asked soothingly.

"Yeah." I replied, trying to sound upbeat but failing. "I just feel terrible. Scott's my best friend."

"He's probably just upset about you and Blaine. Break ups affect other people too." I paused, pulling away slightly.

"Blaine and I haven't split up." Gabriel looked confused.

"What?"

"I never said we'd split up. We're just…taking a break. Once he realises what he's saying is ridiculous I'll take him back." The shock was still written on my friend's face.

"But…he…"

"I love him. I can't get rid of that. It's just…complicated." Burying my face back in his chest I closed my eyes, trying to block everything out for just a moment. "I wish it would all go away."

"It'll be ok." Gabriel said after a while. I felt his hand reach out and begin to stroke my hair and sighed, enjoying the feeling. "I'll make it ok. Do you want to get ready for class?"

"Yeah."

* * *

If I'd thought my other lessons pre 'the date from hell' had been awkward – this was ten times worse. Gabriel walked me to class and made sure we stayed away from any senior areas. Half of me was desperate to see Blaine, but the other didn't want to see him at all. When we parted outside history I felt like my life ring was being ripped away from me, clinging to Gabriel so he had to pry each finger away. I sat silently in the classroom, watching the clock before the lesson had even started.

* * *

The walk to lunch was long. I'd arranged to meet Gabriel in the cafeteria because he had to stay late from Trig and walked quickly, wanting to get there as soon as possible. The corridors seemed to stretch out rather like they had when I'd first entered Dalton - the same nerves and uncertainty jolted through me so I felt sick. I was about to turn another corner when I suddenly heard my name being called out.

"Kurt!" Turning round to find the source of the voice I groaned as I saw Nathaniel running towards me. Oh great. I did _not_ want a lecture from my Head Boy. He did seem rather anxious about something though.

"Kurt!" He said again as he got nearer, gasping for breath when he stopped in front of me. "There's a fight!" I stopped preparing my 'none of your business' speech.

"_What_?"

"Blaine and Gabriel. In the cafeteria. Fight." Instantly I dropped everything and ran.

* * *

There was a crowd gathering outside the entrance to the hall – I pushed through frantically and a couple of people let me pass upon seeing who I was. When I surfaced into space a scream flew from my throat. Blaine had Gabriel by the neck again, pressed up against the wall by the servery. As the smaller boy flapped his arms to try and get him off he raised his fist and punched him straight in the face.

"BLAINE!" I rushed over, grabbing my boyfriend by the waist and pulling as hard as he could. The adrenalin must have had an affect because he moved backwards and Gabriel fell to the floor, immediately clutching his nose and gasping for breath,

"Gabriel!" Throwing Blaine away from me I dropped down and wrapped my arms around my friend, cradling him like a baby. "How could you DO this?" I shouted, turning my head round to glare upwards. Blaine seemed shocked that I'd appeared so suddenly – he was clutching his knuckles with his eyes wide open but I didn't care.

"Kurt…I…" It was amazing how quickly his anger had disappeared – a couple of boys that had been standing nearby grabbed hold of him so he wouldn't come back at us and he struggled but didn't break free. Funny how they hadn't been willing to do that before.

"How DARE you hurt my friend!" Now my anger was bubbling and I felt Gabriel put a hand on my arm to stop me from shaking. My face was red and all I wanted to do was punch him back. What gave him the right to do that?

"Kurt…" Now Blaine looked desperate. Normally the sight of his puppy dog eyes would have sent my heart fluttering, my cheeks flushing and my brain off into dreamland. Now it just made me hate him even more.

"Stay away from us. Stay away from _me_." Sensing the conversation was over the boys began to pull Blaine away from us. Now he kicked and screamed – the same word over and over again. Kurt, Kurt, Kurt. They felt like stabs to my heart but I grit my teeth and instead focused on Gabriel, who had a steady stream of blood tickling from his probably broken nose. Gaga he looked terrible.

"Gabriel…" I said, trying not to cry. "I'm so sorry." My friend sighed, bringing his hand up to my face. Nathaniel had launched into action, ushering people away from the scene, and he walked over.

"We need to get you to the nurses room." He said plainly, his face stern. He obviously didn't approve of Blaine's actions any more than I did.

"Yeah, the nurses room." I knew I should stand up, but didn't want to move. "Oh Gaga Gabriel this is all my fault! I'm so sorry!"

"_Hey."_ Gabriel said as the tears began to fall down my face, stroking one away gently, his face calm and serene. "It's ok. Blaine won't ever hit me like that again. He won't hurt anyone." He smiled, stroking my face some more and I closed my eyes, sighing.

* * *

When I got back to my room I collapsed on my bed, exhausted. I couldn't take any more of this. Gabriel's nose wasn't broken – I'd stayed right until the doctor had confirmed it – but I still felt terrible for what had happened. And Blaine. Well I didn't even want to think about him.

As I laid on my bed staring up at the ceiling my mind went back to something Gabriel had said, right before we'd left for the nurses room. 'Blaine won't ever hit me like that again'… What did that mean? I was sure he'd probably been concussed and just talking nonsense – there was no way to stop Blaine completely. Unless…

_No_. I slapped myself on the arm for even thinking about it. That was Scott and Blaine talking. Gabriel was the innocent party here – after all, he was the one with a messed up face. I tried to think about how I was going to sort this with Blaine – how I could ever forgive him for what he'd done. It seemed impossible at the moment, but I knew I would have to speak to him sometime.

Suddenly there was a knock at my door.

"Kurt?" I groaned.

"Go away Scott."

"Oh _come on_ Kurt! Let me in!"

"No. I don't want to talk to anyone! I'm going to sleep." Turning over onto my front I tried to block out my best friend. My best friend who I didn't want to talk to. Just like my boyfriend that I didn't want to see. And my friend that was lying in a bed with a bloody nose.

Help.

* * *

I must have actually fallen asleep. When I woke up the sky outside was dark and I glanced over at my clock to see 7:34pm flashing back at me. Groaning I rolled over and stared back at the ceiling. Maybe this would be better if I just didn't wake up. Maybe if I thought hard enough I would realise this was all a bad dream, and that I'd actually been asleep next to Blaine the whole time. I missed his warmth around me when we cuddled. I missed his scent, and the taste of his tongue when we kissed. I missed _him_. Suddenly my door knocked loudly. I jumped to attention, forgetting to ask who it was.

"Kurt?" Instantly I flew off the bed.

"_Gabriel_?" I was completely shocked. "What are you _doing_ here? You're supposed to be resting!" My friend still looked a mess – he was still dressed in the shirt the nurse had given him in the place of his bloodstained one and it was too big for him so he seemed small and frail. It was the look on his face that disturbed me the most though.

"We need to leave."

"What?" The confusion was evident in my voice as Gabriel gripped hold of my hand. What was going on?

"We need to leave. You and me. _Now_."

"Why? What's happened?" Suddenly Gabriel pushed us both inside my room. I was surprised but let it happen, guessing he was still a bit traumatised from what had happened earlier today.

"If I tell you, you're not gonna like it at first. But it's for the best." Now my eyebrows furrowed. This was weird.

"_Gabriel_… I said, now very wary, "what's happened?"

"Blaine is gone ok!" The words came out in a rush – Gabriel seemed annoyed that he was having to say it. "He's gone!"

"Gone where? What's going on?"

"Somewhere he won't bother us anymore. So that's why we have to leave." He tugged at my hand again, starting to look panicked, but I stayed still.

"Gabriel, I am not going _anywhere_ with you until you tell me what's going on."

"HE'S GONE!" The shout made me step back "I got rid of him! For us!"

"_What_?" Now my worry had turned into deep concern. Gabriel's grip got tighter on my hand and I felt unnerved by it.

"You said you wanted it all to go away – that Blaine was the only thing keeping you from having what you wanted."

"What? What are you talking about? What do I want?" Suddenly Gabriel stopped. He seemed surprised, cocking his head to the side in the way I'd seen creepy little girls do in horror films.

"Well isn't it obvious Kurt? Me. You love me."

* * *

My stomach dropped.

"Gabriel…" I was now frantically trying to think of a plan. Gabriel smiled, before laughing manically. He swung our hands back and forth happily.

"I'll have to admit, it took a while for you to realise." He said. "I had to help you see what a horrible person Blaine was, that he wasn't good enough for you."

"Wait – _you_ did all those things? _You_ stalked him?" The realisation hit me like a bullet. Gabriel laughed again.

"Well, I wouldn't say _stalked_. That suggests that I liked him. You needed to see what he was really like behind the bravado and good looks." My hands were beginning to shake with fear, but I tried to hide it, worried what Gabriel would do if he found out.

"And now you have seen it. He attacked me."

"Did you provoke him?" I asked the question as calmly as I could.

"Not really. I just told him his chance was up. That you'd found your real soul mate. He didn't like that very much." He giggled again, squeezing my hand and I shivered. Holy crap. Holy crap.

"But then you said after all this you might take him back." Suddenly Gabriel's face dropped. He almost looked like he was about to cry, but for once I didn't feel any compassion. Only fear.

"That upset me. I'd worked so hard to have it all go to waste. So then I realised that he'd have to go for good for you to see that you didn't need him anymore." Suddenly I heard voices outside my room. I inched towards the door slightly, craning my ears, before my heart stopped.

"FIRE! FIRE IN WORDSWORTH!"

"_Gabriel_? _What's going on_?" Now it was impossible to hide the fear in my voice. The realisation had spread and my legs were beginning to go weak. Everything Blaine had said… it was right. He was right. _Blaine_.

"Oh Kurt." Gabriel had noticed my emotions, stepping forward and bringing his hand to stroke my cheek. I wanted to pull away but knew that wasn't a good idea. "I know you're scared. This isn't how I wanted to end it. But if we leave now we can start a new life. We can get married, change our names. Nobody will ever know what happened. And we will be together _forever_." On the last word he smiled. It wasn't the smile I was used to. The kind, Gabriel smile I had grown to love. This was a crazy smile. Gabriel was crazy.

"Yes." Suddenly I came up with another plan. Gabriel paused, unsure what my yes meant.

"Kurt?"

"Yes. Let's run away together." I tried to make my voice sound as upbeat as possible, forcing a smile. Gabriel beamed.

"Oh Kurt. That's all I ever wanted." He stroked my cheek again, gazing into my eyes. "I never stopped loving you. Even when I said I had, I never stopped. You are my everything. Do you love me?"

"Umm…" I faltered briefly over the words. All I could think of was Blaine. Blaine potentially trapped in a fire, burning to death. Oh God.

"_Kurt?_" Now Gabriel seemed angry. His grip on my arm tightened and I almost screamed. "_Do you love me?_"

"Of course!" I replied hurriedly. "Of course, I love you!" The grip relaxed.

"Excellent. Oh Kurt." Suddenly his face began to move towards me and I realised we were going to kiss. Every fibre of my being screamed to pull away – to leave this room and run as fast as I could until my legs couldn't work anymore. But I pushed that aside and closed my eyes. Gabriel's lips touched mine and he attacked my face. It was nothing like the first kiss we'd had. Whilst that had been filled with passion, this held only desperation. Gabriel cried out in my mouth but the sound was horrifying instead of beautiful. His hand gripped the back of my head and I felt like being sick. I felt like screaming louder than I ever had before. When we finally broke away he looked ecstatic.

"Wow." Gabriel said with a smile. "Just as amazing as I remember. Now, let's get your things and go." He suddenly began walking around my room picking up things and throwing them onto the bed. I panicked. This hadn't been a part of my plan.

"Um! Gabriel!" I called out, making him turn around. My brain was frantically searching for words.

"Yes?"

"I'm just gonna…go see Nathaniel!" Suddenly the inspiration came. Gabriel looked confused. "I need to say goodbye – sort out Head Boy…stuff. You stay here."

"I don't know…" He seemed wary, so I leapt forward.

"I won't be long. Two minutes tops. You can pack my stuff and then we'll go. Forever." Gritting my teeth again I gave him another quick kiss, which Gabriel hadn't been expecting and relished.

"Forever." He mumbled in pleasure. "Ok. Be back soon. I love you."

"I love you too." Elated that my plan had worked, I forced one last smile before exiting the room.

* * *

As soon as I shut the door behind me I let out the breath I had been holding in a cry. My legs almost collapsed beneath me and tears pricked at my eyelids, but I pulled myself together and stood up. Oh my God. This wasn't happening. Gabriel wasn't a psycho. He hadn't tried to kill Blaine.

Blaine.

Like that all other thoughts went out the window. I thundered down the corridor and out of Wilde into the cold evening air.

* * *

When I looked towards Wordsworth my heart stopped. The back half of the building was on fire – huge bright flames that lit up the grounds and burned with a heat I could feel from where I was standing. Everyone around me was panicking – shouts rang out and people pushed past me, all screaming things like 'FIRE!' or 'HELP!' I felt my body beginning to collapse again but fought through it – forcing my feet to move again as I raced towards the building. The fire brigade were probably on their way – but it was most likely too late for Blaine now. If he was trapped in there… I screamed, unable to hold in my emotions.

When I reached the front of the building my eyes began to frantically search for my boyfriend – panic and tears blurring my vision so I screamed some more. Several teachers had formed a barrier across the entrance so no students could get in. I tried to get past screaming Blaine's name but they pushed me away.

'BLAINE! _BLAINE_!" My heart was pounding in my chest – I tried another tack and raced round to the side of the building. Maybe if there was a fire escape I could climb up and get inside. I had to save him. He couldn't die…

"BLAINE!"

"KURT!" Suddenly I heard a voice and stopped dead. Like lightening I spun round and fixed my eyes on the figure running towards me.

"BLAINE!" Sheer relief washed over me. I pelted towards him, using the last of my energy and we crashed together with almost enough force to knock each other over.

'BLAINE! Oh Blaine Blaine!" Wrapping my arms round his neck I crushed his body to mine, saying his name over and over again into his neck as I kissed it frantically.

"Kurt." Blaine said, pulling me away so he could look into my eyes. "Kurt it's ok."

"Oh Blaine I'm so sorry! You were right! Gabriel is crazy! I thought you were DEAD!"

"Woah, slow down Kurt, what happened?" Stroking my hair he looked at me, trying to calm me down. His face was blackened with soot and the sight made my cry out and hug him again, before I was pulled back out. "_Kurt."_

"Gabriel, came to my room…" I began, unable to properly get my words out. "He said, he'd got rid of you, so we could be together. He's _insane_! He did all those things to you!" I burst into tears again gripping onto his neck and Blaine rocked me back and forth, making comforting noises. I couldn't believe I had ever doubted him. He'd nearly died and it was my fault.

"Did he say he started the fire?" He asked calmly. I couldn't believe he was acting like this when he'd been the one under attack.

"Yes! He wanted you dead! You were right all along and I didn't listen to you!"

"Sssh." Blaine said, grabbing my face so I would stop shaking, stroking my tears away. "Sssh. It's ok. I'm not dead. I'm here."

"How did you get out?" I asked, my voice still choked.

"Well I was asleep when it happened – the smoke woke me up and by that time I couldn't get out the door." I began to cry again but Blaine rocked my back and forth, concentrating on his story. "I opened the window and saw I could reach the fire escape so climbed along the ledge and then down from there."

"You could have DIED! You could have fallen and you could have DIED!"

"Sssh! I didn't die. I'm here, right now, look." Holding out his arms with a comforting smile I laughed, crying and laughing at the same time.

"I'm never letting you go again." I said, tightening my grip round his neck as I spoke to prove my point. "_Never_. I love you."

"I love you too." Our lips met, and for one second – the world was right again.

* * *

"Kurt?" Suddenly another voice echoed across the area. I froze. My eyes were still looking at Blaine, our faces only inches apart as we'd broken away from our kiss. I couldn't face looking to my left.

"_KURT!_" Turning round every muscle in my body tensed. Gabriel was standing a few feet away from us. His eyes were fixed on the two of us and one emotion was written across his face. Anger.

"So this is how you repay me." He said, taking one slow step forward as he spoke. "This is how you repay all my hard work for us. By betraying me."

"Gabriel-"

"-YOU!" Gabriel interrupted my boyfriend's attempt to diffuse the situation, making us both jump. "YOU SHUT UP! YOU'RE NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE HERE! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!"  
"How could you try and kill him Gabriel?" I said, still keeping my arms fastened around Blaine to protect him. "That's not what I wanted!"

"Of COURSE it is!" He shouted back at me. "You _said_ you wanted it all to go away!"

"I _said_ I wanted all the fighting to stop. All the _hurt _to go away. I didn't mean KILL HIM!"

"You love me Kurt. I know you love me. You told me." Taking another step forward I pulled Blaine and I back, fear beginning to creep up again.

"I _never_ loved you Gabriel. You just created it in that sick little twisted mind of yours. You're crazy."

"Kurt…" Blaine put his hand on my shoulder, a warning in his tone.

"NO!" I countered. "He tried to _kill_ you! I don't care how he feels – he's crazy and I hate him!"

"Crazy eh?" Gabriel said. Stopping where he was and smiling at the two of us. "You think I'm crazy?"

"Yeah. You're sick _and _crazy."

"_Kurt…_" Gabriel laughed.

"_I'll _show you crazy."

* * *

As soon as the knife was revealed from his back pocket I screamed.

"Oh my God!" Immediately Blaine pushed me behind him, covering my body with his so I could barely see what was going on. "Gabriel!"

"Do you like it?" The Wildeian said, looking at the knife with pride. "I borrowed it from the kitchen. Hope they don't mind."

"Gabriel, you don't have to do this." Blaine warned, putting his hands out in surrender.

"Oh, but you see I _do!_ Kurt doesn't realise what a filthy little piece of work you really are, how you don't actually care about anything but yourself. You put him under your spell and he's not gonna be released from it until you, are, dead."

"NO!" I tried to push past my boyfriend but he held me back. Gabriel glared at me.

"Scream any more and he dies _now._" Instantly I held my tongue, but I still fought with Blaine until he snapped out at me.

"_Stop it Kurt_. This is my battle. I face the consequences." Shoving me backwards he stepped forwards.

"Ok. So you hate me. I get it." He began. I wanted to pull him back but my feet were somehow rooted to the floor with fear. "I have what you want. But you are _not_ a bad person Gabriel. You do _not_ have to do this."

"How DARE you tell me what I can and can't do!" Gabriel shrieked, waving the knife in front of him. "That's all you ever do! Order people around because YOU know best! Everyone should be perfect like YOU! YOU DON'T KNOW _ANYTHING_ ABOUT ME!"

"If you do this, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"No I won't. It'll be the best goddamn thing I've ever done! Kurt and I will be free."

"If you do this Kurt will never forgive you." Gabriel stopped. He looked over at me, for a second the sincere affection I'd seen before all of this happened flickering in his eyes. Then like the flames behind us – it was extinguished.

"Kurt will hate me for a while. But then he will realise it was the only way. You have to die for us to live."

"NO!" Suddenly unable to stand back any longer I raced forward towards Gabriel. My fist contacted with his shoulder but my lack of energy meant it had almost no effect. Gabriel gripped hold of my wrist and flipped me onto the floor. For a weedy guy he was surprisingly strong.

"_Kurt_." He said, almost patronising me. "Why did you have to go and do that?" Looking back up at Blaine I realised in horror there was nothing separating them now. There was nothing to stop Gabriel from rushing forward and stabbing him in the heart. The area we were in was deserted – nobody could hear us over the fire and nobody would. My reckless action was the last one my boyfriend would ever see.

"Prepare to say your final words, _Blaine Anderson_." Gabriel laughed, a cold cruel laugh that sounded like pins being stabbed into my ears. He raised the knife and lunged forwards I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the only man I would ever love die.

* * *

"AAAAH!" A shout rang out but to my surprise, it wasn't Blaine. Opening my eyes I saw my boyfriend still standing, still unharmed. Gabriel didn't have the knife in his hand – it was somewhere else. _In _someone else. The figure let out another groan, stumbling forward a couple of paces before crashing to the floor.


	43. Hospital

_Well here it is!_

_I'm SO sorry about the delay - something horrible happened to me on Sunday but it's all ok now. I hope the chapter is worth the wait. I think you will all be surprised :D_

_Liz xxx_

_Edit 4:46pm: From some comments I've just received this chapter has been ammended slightly :D_

* * *

**Chapter 43 - Hospital**

"NATHANIEL!" The word flew from my throat in a scream. Scrambling across the floor I grabbed the figure of my Head Boy, hauling him up so I could see his face. The expression made my gut wrench.

"YOU!" Behind me I heard a commotion. Turning briefly around I saw Scott had appeared, and was now holding back Gabriel, sheer rage written across his face. Blaine dropped down beside me, looking concerned.

"Oh my God." He said. The knife was still wedged into Nathaniel's stomach, just to his left.

"What do we do? WHAT DO WE DO?" I shouted, unable to stop myself from panicking. Blood was still streaming out of the wound and as I tried to stop it it soaked my hands.

"Well we can't take the knife out, but we should stem the bleeding." Blaine replied, somehow managing to stay relatively calm. "You go get help."

"Ok, help." As he took over and began to rip up a part of his shirt, I jumped up, running off past Scott and Gabriel towards the front of Wordsworth.

* * *

Immediately I began screaming.

"HELP! HELP!" My feet thumped against the grass, my heart pounding in my ears. I could barely see straight, my whole body still in complete shock.

Suddenly I spotted my History teacher Mr Banner helping out some students that had got out of Wordsworth. When he heard my shout and turned round his eyes widened as he took in my bloodstained hands.

"Mr Banner!" I shouted, my voice now becoming breathless. "Mr Banner help!"

"What the devil is going on Kurt?" He asked, now looking extremely concerned and signalling for other nearby teachers to come over.

"Nathaniel's been stabbed! Nathaniel Archibald's been stabbed!"

* * *

When the other teacher's and I reached the scene Blaine seemed to have dealt with the situation. The knife was still sticking out of Nathaniel's stomach and he was moaning in pain, but there was less blood around.

"Mr Banner." Blaine said, relief crossing his face when he saw us. "You need to call 911, _now_."

"CALL 911!" The teacher repeated, causing several people to get their phones out and begin frantically dialling.

"I removed the knife but he's still losing a lot of blood. He needs medical attention _now_." Looking over at Scott I realised that instead of holding Gabriel back, he was now holding him up, the figure of the Wildeian slumped down against him.

"He was getting dangerous so I had to knock him out." Scott said. "I wanted to _kill_ him."

"But you didn't." Blaine responded, shooting him a look that both of them seemed to understand. "You did the right thing." Crouching back down by my boyfriend I tried to catch Nathaniel's eye. He whole face was scrunched up with pain and I suddenly grabbed hold of one of his hands, clutching it tightly.

"It's going to be ok." I said, trying to sound as sure of myself as possible. "It's going to be ok…"

* * *

Once the ambulance finally arrived we were pushed back, allowing the paramedics to do their job. They commended Blaine on his actions and quick thinking and Nathaniel was quickly loaded up into the ambulance. I insisted I stay with him and Blaine and Scott were allowed along too. Throughout the whole journey to the hospital I didn't let go of his hand, muttering the same phrase over and over again.

* * *

The hospital lights hurt my eyes. Everything was so white – the walls, the floor, the seats we were sitting on. It just felt cold. Blaine sat next to me in the corridor, his arm wrapped protectively round my shoulders, rubbing my collarbone comfortingly. Scott was seated on the other side but surprisingly, was completely silent.

"You need to clean your hands." Blaine's voice rang out against the relative silence of bleeping machines and the occasional passing patient. I looked down at my hands, which were still stained red with blood. The colour was a stark contrast to my surroundings and the sight made me feel sick.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No." Finally I spoke again, the word sounding strange coming from my mouth. Jumping up abruptly I strode over to the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

* * *

As soon as I was alone I let out another deep breath. My whole body felt drained and as I walked over to the sink I was forced to lean against it to hold myself up. This wasn't happening. How _had_ it happened? One moment my biggest problem had been worrying about relationship problems. Now my friend had turned psycho, my boyfriend had almost been killed and my Head Boy was lying in a bed somewhere possibly bleeding to death. Oh my God. He couldn't die. He couldn't. This was nothing to do with him.

As I turned the tap on and stuck my hands in the flow the water immediately turned red. Reaching for some soap I scrubbed at my palms, trying to release the dry blood that had crusted and formed lines across my skin. Nathaniel's blood. As I turned the temperature of the water up tears suddenly began to brim in my eyes and before I knew it I was sobbing – guttural sobs that shook my body and almost made me fall over. Suddenly the door to the bathroom opened and I heard rapid footsteps come up behind me.

"Oh Kurt." Blaine had obviously sensed something was wrong and followed me – my hands still wet I turned around and threw my arms around him, burying my head into his chest.

"He can't die." I said in between sobs, my voice choked and hoarse. "He _can't_."

"The doctors are doing all they can." Blaine replied, his voice soothing and his hand reaching up to stroke my hair, the way he knew always relaxed me. "They'll help him as much as they can. And Nathaniel will fight."

"If he dies, it'll be all my fault." My sobs got louder and Blaine rocked my backwards and forwards, before bringing my face up to look directly at his.

"_Hey_. This is _not _your fault. It's _none _of our faults. Nobody knew this would happen."

"I can't. I can't cope if he dies."

"Sssh…" Blaine kissed the top of my head, rocking us backwards and forwards slowly "sssh. I'm here. I'm here…"

* * *

When we emerged from the bathroom several minutes later Scott looked up. It seemed like he had been crying too. Walking over with my arms out he stood up and let me hug him. It had been so long since we'd embraced that I clung to him and he clung back. I'd missed him.

"Are you ok?" He asked me when we pulled apart. I laughed.

"Just about. Blaine should be the one that's upset. I can't believe how calm he is." Both of us turned to look at him and he smiled, running his hands through his hair.

"There are more important things to be worrying about now." He said plainly.

"But that was supposed to be _you_ dude." Scott said. "Gabriel was trying to put _you_ in hospital."

"Well he didn't." Taking my hand again he squeezed it, just to reiterate one more time that he was still here. If it really had been him in Nathaniel's position I don't know how I would have coped.

"Yeah…" All of us fell silent, thinking about our friend, holed away in some equally white room with paramedics all over him. The wound was severe, we knew that. But how severe we weren't sure.

"What happened to Gabriel?" Blaine asked as we all sat back down, me leaning my head against his shoulder so he brought his arm back round over me and stroked the side of my face.

"I didn't see. Scott, what happened?"

"Well once the police came he was arrested. So I guess he went with them. I hope he rots in hell." My best friend's eyebrows furrowed in anger and I placed a hand on his arm.

"Hey. I know. But he's messed up."

"Is it too early to say I told you so?" He gave me a side-glance and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I think so. I should be apologising to both of you. Oh Gaga." Suddenly the realisation hit again. This _was_ all my fault.

"_Kurt_." Blaine could sense immediately what I was about to say. He leant forward to kiss my cheek but I flinched away. Instead he buried his face in the side of my head and whispered in my ear.

"_Stop it._ We will talk about this later." Feeling tears prick in my eyes again I nodded and tried to concentrate on how nice it felt to feel his breath on my skin.

"I love you." He muttered.

"I love you too."

* * *

Suddenly we heard footsteps coming down the corridor that didn't belong to a patient. When the nurse came into view we all sprang up to our feet, my hands instantly clasping onto both Blaine's and Scott's tightly as my gut twisted.

"Do you have any news?" Blaine asked, taking on the role of the responsible adult in the situation. I couldn't tell whether the nurse looked happy or not. She was carrying a clipboard that I gathered had Nathaniel's details on.

"You are friends of Nathaniel Archibald are you not?" She asked, bringing out a pencil.

"Yes." As Blaine replied she scribbled down a few notes in a box, her hand moving slowly. My fear and anxiety turned to frustration.

"IS HE OK? What's going on?" The words came out harsher than I expected, but I was concerned. This was one of my closest friends. And she wouldn't even tell us if he was still alive or not.

"Kurt." Blaine said yet again, giving me a disapproving look before apologising to the nurse. "She's trying to help us."

"I WANT TO KNOW IF MY FRIEND IS ALIVE!" Damn. I was beginning to cry again. Luckily the nurse didn't seem to offended, obviously having dealt with people like me before.

"I'm sorry," She said, putting her pencil down on the board and looking at me. "I just had to make sure you were the right people. Nathaniel is currently in intensive care – he sustained substantial internal injuries to his kidneys and a huge loss of blood. But luckily the knife avoided any other essential organs." With this knowledge my whole body sagged in relief.

"So he's… he's gonna be ok?" Scott asked. The nurse smiled.

"He's still in a very serious condition, and we'll probably have to keep him in hospital for at least a couple of days. But yes. He should survive." My legs felt like jelly. I clung onto Blaine for support, his face lit up with relief and happiness. Thank Prada and Gucci and everyone. He was going to be ok.

"Can we see him?" Blaine asked, which would have been my next question.

"Maybe in a couple of minutes." The nurse replied. "If you follow me I can take you to the room he's in." Pointing her arm down the corridor she began to walk and we followed her, my feet now with an extra spring to their step.

"_He's gonna be ok_." I whispered to Blaine, still not quite able to believe it. He smiled, kissing the top of my head and squeezing my hand.

"Yes he is."

* * *

When we reached the room Nathaniel was being held in there were still lots of people around. I didn't even want to think what it must have been like an hour ago. The nurse signalled for us to stop by the door and went to talk to one of the doctors nearby. I glanced up at Blaine who nodded his head comfortingly and then tried to peek through the blinds covering the window. I couldn't really see anything.

"Mr Archibald should be able to have visitors now." I looked back to see the nurse in front of us again. "We're just trying to locate his family. Do you know anything about them?"

"Yeah. It's his Mum and his sister. They live nearby." I said, suddenly eager to pass on my knowledge. If his family didn't know… well it was important they knew as soon as possible. The nurse nodded, scribbling down yet more things on her piece of paper, before opening the door to the room.

"You can see him now."

* * *

We stepped gingerly into the room, Scott leading the way and Blaine tugging me along behind him. Obviously I was desperate to see my friend, but half of me couldn't bear to look at him like this. When I finally laid eyes on him a little gasp escaped from my lips. There were wires everywhere. Nathaniel looked to be asleep, his eyes closed and his chest rising and falling slowly. A machine next to him beeped steadily and there was a huge mass of bandages and wadding over his stomach. As we stepped further into the room he seemed to stir but didn't open his eyes. I held my breath, not wanting to do anything to disturb him.

"Oh my God." Scott stepped forward, reaching out his hand to gently touch Nathaniel's arm. "He looks terrible."

"I doubt anyone looks that good after they've been stabbed." Blaine replied, trying to keep the situation relatively upbeat. I went to join Scott, slotting my hand into his and also stroking the skin on Nathaniel's arm.

"When I think about all of the things I've said about him." My best friend continued. "All the times I've teased him. He didn't deserve it. It should be me here."

"Oh Scott! Don't be silly!" I poked him on the arm playfully.

"What? I'm supposed to be the crazy one, the one that takes risks. I should have jumped in, not him. He…" He paused, looking down. "He's much more of a man than I am."

* * *

"Liar." Suddenly another voice joined in the conversation. Immediately my eyes flicked over to Nathaniel lying in the bed and a huge smile spread across my face.

"Nathaniel!" His voice was croaky and his movements very weak, but there was a smile on his face as he looked back at us. I immediately crouched down beside the bed, grabbing hold of his hand and Blaine and Scott followed suit, perching next to me.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I've been shot." Nathaniel laughed and I joined in, squeezing his hand. How was everyone coping with this so much better than me?

"Well you look like hell." Scott said, joining in with the joke. Nathaniel pretended to look offended but smiled again.

"Thanks buddy. What happened to Gabriel? I kind of blacked out after everything happened."

"Gabriel's been arrested." Blaine replied, still taking on the air of sensibility he'd maintained almost this whole time. "He was as soon as the police got there."

"Yeah. I knocked the bugger out beforehand though." Scott mimed a punch in mid air and we all laughed, Nathaniel suddenly coughing and spluttering from the exertion so I leaned forward in concern.

"Hah. I must have been out, I don't remember anything." He said, waving me away as I fussed. "Apart from the pain. And you Blaine." Suddenly he looked over. Blaine smiled, modest as always, shuffling his feet nervously across the linoleum floor.

"I just did what I had to." He replied simply. I wanted to walk over and kiss him but didn't want to leave Nathaniel, settling instead for holding my hand out so he took it gently.

"Well I think you saved my life. You all did." As I looked back to my Head Boy a loud sigh escaped from my lips.

"_Nathaniel_. You saved _Blaine's_ life."

"Yeah, you did." Blaine closed the distance between us, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"I just did what I had to." Nathaniel smiled and we all laughed softly again. For the first time in a while I felt like things were going to be ok. Yes we were in a hospital. Yes Gabriel was probably locked up in some cell scared out of his mind. But we were all still here. And we were together again.


	44. Questions

**Chapter 44 - Questions**

When we got back to Dalton everything was abuzz. The hospital had let us spend the night in the room next to Nathaniel's, sleeping on beds that would normally hold dying patients, but we'd had to leave him behind when morning arrived. I hadn't got the best amount of sleep, so was still completely shattered when we set foot back in the grounds.

_Everyone_ wanted to talk to us.

"Are you ok Kurt?"

"How do you feel?"

"How does Blaine feel?"

"What happened to Gabriel?" Every question drained me so I clung onto Blaine for support. He did a great job of fending everyone off until we got to Wilde, but the sight of Mr Banner, Mr Cox and two police officers standing outside the entrance was hard to avoid.

"Hello boys." Cox said once we approached. His face was stern and I imagined he also hadn't got much sleep, given what had happened in his school. "Meet Detective Constable Parkman and Detective Sergeant Petrelli." He signalled to the two police officers, one a large stocky man with dark hair and one a slim blonde woman with kind but serious features.

"Hello." Blaine said politely, causing the two to nod theirs heads slightly.

"If it's ok with you, these two would like to ask you both some questions. About the events of last night." My stomach dropped. I knew there would come a point where this would happen, especially with Gabriel now in custody somewhere – but I hadn't thought it would be so soon.

"Um…Kurt isn't really up for questioning…" Blaine immediately said, looking at me in concern and rubbing my shoulder comfortingly. I squeezed my eyes shut wishing I wasn't so pathetic.

"I understand Mr…"

"Anderson. Blaine Anderson."

"I understand Mr Anderson," the female officer said, stepping forward, "but I would say that to get the most accurate evidence it is best to interview the complainant as soon after the event as possible. And we have already lost an evening."

"I still don't-"

"-It's ok." Interrupting my boyfriend I opened my eyes, having taken a deep breath in beforehand. The two officers looked surprised but happy, immediately beginning to gather up their things.

"Great. We can do this in a comfortable environment for you, where would you like to go?"

"Umm…my room?" Mr Cox nodded his head in satisfaction and opened the door to Wilde for me. As we walked down the corridor Blaine still had a firm hold on my hand, and seemed worried.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked, concern evident in his voice. I nodded.

"Yeah. We might as well get it over and done with now. I'll be fine." He kissed me softly on the head and I sighed, before putting my foot on the first stair.

* * *

It seemed strange to be in my room again. Seeing the door, the bed – it all reminded me of what had happened. I could almost see the figure of Gabriel standing there, forcing his lips onto mine. The officers had pulled up chairs to sit on and were currently setting up some recording equipment, including what looked like a huge tape machine. I wanted to move but it was too late now.

"Ok Mr Hummel, can I call you Kurt?" the female officer asked after a while. I nodded my head solemnly and she smiled. "Great, I'm Kim." She sat down opposite me and leant forward to catch my gaze. "I'm sorry your boyfriend couldn't stay inside, but it's interview protocol." Briefly I glanced towards the door, where Blaine was currently waiting on the other side. The officers had tried to get him to come back later but he wouldn't budge. Mr Banner was acting as a guard with him.

"Do you feel ok, do you want a drink of water or anything?" I shook my head and she nodded, leaning back to have a hushed conversation with her partner before returning to me again.

"Ok Kurt. We're going to start the tape recorder and then we're going to ask you some questions about what happened to you last night. You don't have to answer anything you don't feel comfortable answering and if you want a break at any time you just say ok?" My head nodded again, every part of my body screaming to say I didn't want to do this, that I wasn't ready. The male police officer pressed down the button and the tape machine began whirring.

* * *

"The date is the 27th May 2011. Present in the room are Detective Constable Parkman and myself, Detective Sergeant Petrelli, as well as the complainant Mr Kurt Hummel. The time is 10:47am. Ok Kurt," Kim turned towards me, giving me that same comforting look again. "You are still ready for this interview to proceed?" I nodded, but she signalled towards the tape, looking awkward. "I'm afraid you're going to have to speak up Kurt." She whispered. Reluctantly I spoke.

"Yes."

"Can you please state your full name for us please."

"Kurt Hummel."

"And your date of birth?"

"5th April 1994"

"Ok." Kim got out some notes and briefly cast her eyes over them. The male police officer Parkman was fiddling around with the tape machine, probably trying to get the best sound quality.

"I'd like to take you back to last night, the 26th May 2011. Where were you at around 7pm?" I gulped. This was it.

"I was in my room."

"Ok, you were in your room. Were you with anyone else in your room?"

"No, it was just me."

"Had you been anywhere else before you went back to your room?"

"Yes. I'd been to see Gabriel in the medical ward because he'd been hurt."

"How had he been hurt?"

"Blaine had punched him in the face."

"And Blaine is your boyfriend right?" I nodded before remembering the tape.

"Yes." Parkman was now writing down notes - my eyes briefly focused on his rapidly moving hands, before I looked back at Kim again.

"How did you feel when you got back?" She asked. I dithered for a second.

"Um, well I was upset. Blaine and I had had a fight and Gabriel was hurt."

"How do you think Gabriel felt?"

"He seemed fine, he was actually very calm about it all."

"Did you see anything suspicious about his behaviour?" Cocking my head to the side I tried to think back to the moment.

"Um, yes. He'd said something before about Blaine never hurting him or anyone again. I thought that was weird but tried not to think about it."

"So his actual words were 'Blaine won't hurt me again?'"

"Yes." Oh Gaga. Now I thought about it, it had been obvious. _Why had I ignored it_?

"Right, how long were you in your room alone for?" Kim continued to question, still using the quiet comforting tone in her voice.

"Um, about a couple of hours. I fell asleep."

"And why did you wake up?"

"Because I heard a knock at the door." Without even realising my eyes darted towards the now closed door. Kim watched me and looked briefly to Parkman, who scribbled something down.

"Who was at the door?"

"Gabriel." Now the officers looked pointedly at each other

"Just to confirm, Gabriel is Gabriel Foston right?" I nodded.

"Yes."

"Ok. How did Gabriel seem?"

"He was really agitated. I asked him why he'd even left the medical ward and he said we needed to leave."

"We as in you and him?"

"Yes. He and I needed to leave together."

"Did he say why you needed to leave?"

"He said that Blaine was gone so we needed to leave."

"The exact words were 'Blaine is gone'?"

"Yes." Suddenly my mind went straight back to that night – the agitation on Gabriel's face as he'd grabbed hold of me. I'd been concerned. _Concerned_.

"And what did he do then?"

"Well I was very confused so kept asking him what was going on. He said he'd gotten rid of Blaine so we had to leave together."

"Did you understand what he meant when he said 'gotten rid of Blaine'?" I shuddered.

"No. Not until I heard the people outside shouting fire."

"What did Gabriel do then?"

"He was getting tired of me asking questions so he confessed."

"He confessed to what?" I gulped, building up the courage to say it.

"He said that he had got rid of Blaine, because he thought it was the only thing standing in the way of us being together. I asked him what that meant and he said that I was in love with him."

"Were, you in love with him?"

"_No_. Of _course_ not." Now I was thinking about Gabriel's face – that manic expression as he'd swung my hand back and forth, the look in his eyes as he planned our imaginary life together. Tears began to build in my eyes.

"What did he do then?"

"He started saying all these things about Blaine, about how he was a horrible person and that I was better off without him. He said he'd had to do things to him to show me what kind of person he really was, and that I'd thank him later for it."

"What kind of things had he been doing?"

"He'd been stalking him – stealing his things, turning people against him, ruining his life." Oh Gaga. He _had _been doing those things. And I'd stood there and watched it happen. I hadn't believed Blaine.

"And you are completely sure of this?"

"Yes. He confessed to all of it." I was desperately trying to fight off the tears so Kim wouldn't see. She kept looking back to Parkman and exchanging nods.

"What did _you_ do then Kurt?" She asked. I took another deep breath.

"Well I was panicking, so I came up with a plan to get away. I pretended to go along with his scheme so I could get out the room and find Blaine."

"So you went along with his plan?"

"Yes. I said I loved him and that we would leave, but I had to go and speak to some people first, Nathaniel." Oh my. My excuse had been Nathaniel. What had he been doing at that point? Did he know that fifteen minutes later he would be lying on the ground with a knife in his stomach?

"And he believed you?"

"Yes. But he…" Suddenly I remembered the worst part. Gabriel lifting his face to mine, his lips pressing against me, hard and desperate. Suffocating…

"He…"

"What did he do Kurt?" Kim had leant forward, her hand almost touching my knee.

"He…" I couldn't take it any longer. The tears I'd been trying so hard to hold back shot out of my eyes and I burst into loud, pained sobs.

* * *

"KURT!" Suddenly I heard a scuffle outside – Blaine was trying desperately to get into the room but was obviously being held back. Unable to stop myself I stood up and ran towards the door, ignoring the shouts from Kim and Parkman as I ripped it open.

When Blaine saw me he immediately broke free from Mr Banner, launching himself onto me and wrapping his arms tightly round my body.

"Oh Kurt." He said as I bawled into his shoulder. "Oh Kurt, sssh, Kurt…" I heard the two police officers appear behind us but Blaine pulled us both away.

"No more questioning." He said sternly, shielding me like I was his baby. "Kurt needs to rest."

"Ok." I heard Kim say, now sounding understanding. "That's fine. We got a lot of useful information anyway. Thank you Kurt." I heard them go back into the room, saying something to the tape recorder and beginning to pack up the equipment. Blaine pulled us further away from the noise and brought my head up so he could look into my eyes.

"Are you ok Kurt?" He asked, looking more concerned than I'd ever seen him before. "I stopped them, they're going away."

"Yeah." I mumbled, my eyes sore from crying and my vision still pretty blurry. "Yeah, that's ok. Thank you."

"They might come back tomorrow but they're going now." He rocked me from side to side, gazing down with utter love and adoration. I felt like crying again but for different reasons. "Do you want to come back to my house tonight?" He suddenly asked. "We can stay there, I checked with Mr Cox. Seeing as I don't have a room."

"No." I replied, finally finding my proper voice again. "I want to stay here. In Dalton. But not my room."

"Ok…" Blaine looked up to glance around the corridor, trying to find a solution. Suddenly he had an idea. "We could stay in Nathaniel's room. I'll check with the janitor." Grabbing hold of my hand he began to walk us to the end of the corridor, leaving the police officers and Mr Banner behind.

* * *

Nathaniel's room was just like Nathaniel. Everything was immaculate. I cast my eyes across the pin board adorned with notes and diagrams and tables, the desk with everything in pristine condition and formation, the closet with clothes in colour sections. It was almost like he had died and we were coming here to dispose of his things. But he hadn't. I'd stepped gingerly into the room and Blaine grabbed hold of my hand again. When we made it to the bed I sat down and he immediately leant back against the headboard and drew me towards him, letting me curl up so I rested on his stomach.

"Is this ok?" He asked, still sounding concerned. I nodded.

"Yes." The amount of questions I'd been asked today was crazy. I didn't want to have to answer yes or no ever again.

"Good." Running his fingers through my hair Blaine sighed. I tilted my head to look up at him and saw he had closed his eyes.

"I don't know how you can stand to be around me." I said plainly. Immediately his eyes flicked open.

"_What_?" He looked shocked. Now it was my turn to sigh.

"After all I've done to you. I almost got you killed." Blaine sat up straight, confusion on his face.

"_Kurt._" He drew me up towards him so I was sitting on his lap. Subconsciously I put my arms around his neck but then withdrew them, so he frowned.

"Kurt, you have _nothing_ to be sorry about. I don't hate you at all."

"But I was so SELFISH!" I exclaimed. "I didn't LISTEN to you! I put you after Gabriel!" Feeling tears brimming in my eyes yet again I looked away, disgusted with myself. Blaine brought his hand to my chin so he could turn my head gently back round.

"You did what you felt was _right_." He said plainly, staring me straight in the eye. "I probably wouldn't have believed me either."

"But you're my BOYFRIEND! I'm SUPPOSED to listen to you!"

"Yes, but Gabriel was also your friend. I would have thought ill of you if you'd put me before everyone else all the time. Especially your friends." I paused, still unable to believe he was being so accepting about all of this.

"But he was psychotic..."

"You didn't know that at the time Kurt. Nobody did. We were just guessing, there was no proof. What happened couldn't have been prevented." Looking at me sympathetically Blaine brought his hand up to rub my back. I tried to shrug away but he persisted, frowning again.

"_You_ were the one that suffered from this." I said. "Not me. I should be the one comforting you."

"You have suffered a _lot_ Kurt. You've had to deal with emotional issues – I just had the physical ones. And people handle things in different ways. If I'm upset I will tell you, but for now I'm here, whatever." He moved his hand up my back to my neck and gently stroked the beginning of my hair. The feeling was so relaxing my shoulders slumped with pleasure.

"I don't deserve you." I mumbled, still feeling like I wanted to cry, but happy at the same time. Blaine let out a noise of indignation.

"Don't you _dare_ say that." He said, pulling me closer again so our noses were almost touching. "You will _always_ deserve me."

* * *

For a second we stayed in silence, just listening to each other breathing. Then Blaine moved.

"Come on, let's get some sleep." Sliding down so he was lying on his side he pulled me down with him and brought me in close, wrapping his arms around me so I was cocooned in his warmth. "You need some rest." I sighed, staring into his beautiful hazel eyes, taking in every part of him. I loved him so much. I loved him even more than I'd ever thought possible.

"I love you." I whispered. Blaine immediately smiled, rubbing our noses together.

"I love you too." He brought our lips together and we kissed deeply, trying desperately to suck out all the hurt and sadness the other was feeling, to heal ourselves and just be together. I felt myself drifting slowly off to sleep.


	45. Recovery

_Sorry about the massive delay in this chapter being posted - I've barely been able to write any fanfiction recently due to being mega busy and I wanted to do the chapter justice. here you go!_

_Liz xxx_

* * *

**Chapter 45 - Recovery**

"KURT!" I was awoken abruptly by the sound of a voice. A voice I knew very well.

"Oh hell." Scrambling up to a sitting position Blaine stirred, his arms flailing out to try and pull me back towards him again. His leg was wrapped around mine and he also pulled with that, so I nearly fell over.

"Kurt." He mumbled in the most adorable way possible. I shook him awake by the shoulder

"Blaine, my Dad is here."

"_What_?" That woke him up. Immediately he sprung up and began frantically flattening his hair down and sorting out his clothes. I could hear Dad storming down the corridor, probably tearing my room apart. It would only be a matter of time before he came here.

"I'd better go see why he's here." I said, even though I knew full well. Running my fingers through my own hair I walked to the door and opened it cautiously, not quite knowing what to expect. Dad was currently having a huge argument with Mr Cox, his face red with anger.

"WHERE IS MY SON?"

"I'm here Dad." The words had come out sheepishly but Dad instantly flicked his gaze over to me. Relief spread across his face.

"Kurt!" Running over I held out my arms and was instantly engulfed in a huge hug. Dad picked me up off the floor and I buried my head in his chest, just taking in that familiar smell and aura that surrounded him.

"Oh Kurt." He said, beginning to rock me from side to side just as Blaine had. He sounded like he wanted to cry. "Why were you staying in that room?"

"Um…" I replied, not really knowing how to explain it. "I just didn't want to be reminded of what had happened." I took in another deep breath, savouring the rough feeling of his checked shirt against my skin and Dad sighed,

"Right." He continued, suddenly pulling me away so he could look me in the eye. "Get your stuff together – we're taking you back home now."

"What?" My expression had dropped. Dad seemed confused.

"We're going back home. You can't stay here anymore." Huh?

"What? Why?" I began to protest but Dad ignored me.

"You can't stay here – it's unsafe."

"No it's not!" I pulled away and he looked at me, still confused.

"_Kurt_. There's a maniac and an arsonist running around!"

"Gabriel has been taken into custody by the police-" Mr Cox tried to intervene but Dad shot him a glance and he fell silent. Just as I was about to protest again Blaine appeared from the room, coming up beside me.

"What's going on?" He asked, looking concerned. "Oh, hey Mr Hummel."

"Blaine?" Dad asked. "What were you doing in there? Were you and Kurt…?" He looked between the two of us, now taking in my slightly dishevelled appearance and I blurted out my next words.

"Dad wants me to leave Dalton!" I would much rather talk about that than the conversation that was headed our way otherwise. Blaine immediately looked upset.

"What? You can't leave!"

"I'm sorry Blaine, but this isn't your decision." Dad said, taking hold of my arm again and pulling me towards him. "I transferred Kurt here so he could be safe, and that's not the case anymore."

"DAD!" I shouted, finally getting his attention. Everyone stopped and stared at me, shock written on their faces.

"I am NOT leaving!" Dad paused, not seeming to understand.

"This is not up for discussion-" He began.

"-No. Because I'm _not leaving_. Ever." Walking back over to Blaine I linked arms with him and stamped my foot defiantly. My boyfriend seemed to tense up, not wanting to be in the middle of a family argument. Or the source of it.

"_Kurt_." Dad seemed annoyed – like he was dealing with the six-year-old me having tantrums about not being able to shop in the girls section of stores. "This is ridiculous."

"No, what's ridiculous is you taking me away from the things I love. You said you want me to be safe? Well I feel safe with Blaine." I squeezed Blaine's hand and watched a small smile quirk on his face, his hazel eyes sparkling with delight. "Blaine is about the only person I feel safe with right now."

"But… you were attacked…"

"I wasn't attacked, Blaine was. And he's still here. Gabriel is gone now and isn't coming back. There's nothing for you to be worried about."

As a stood there, across from my Dad with my boyfriend proudly next to me – it almost felt like I was introducing him again. That moment where I'd stood up and said that this was what I wanted, this was who I was. I almost felt emotional. Dalton was such a huge part of my life – I hadn't realised it until this point. The thought of leaving filled me with more fear than even Gabriel could conjure up from his little cell.

* * *

For a while Dad was silent. I was suddenly worried that I'd upset him and loosened my grip on Blaine's hand slightly, squeezing it beforehand so he would understand what I was doing. I looked at his face, trying to gauge the expression.

"Kurt." He began. I instantly jerked forward, wanting to hear everything he was saying. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Holding out his hand I looked back at Blaine, who nodded. We went into my room and for once I didn't even think about the memories it brought up.

* * *

Once we were inside I expected Dad to pause for a while longer, build up the courage to speak the way he always did. To my surprise however, he spoke instantly.

"Is this really what you want?" I stopped. The question could have meant several different things.

"Umm…is what what I really want?"

"To stay here." Dad seemed nervous, looking down at the floor after he spoke. I shifted my weight to my other foot.

"Well yes. More than anything."

"You're not just doing it for him?" Suddenly it clicked.

"For Blaine?" Dad nodded, withdrawing like he felt like he was stepping on my toes. I paused. Was I doing this for Blaine? I mean, I loved him, I knew that. And the thought of him not being around sent a stabbing pain through my whole body that was hard to control. But was he the only reason?

"No." Finally I spoke. Dad looked up, surprise evident on his face, "Blaine is a very big reason yes. He's pretty much the most important person in my life after you. But he's not the only reason." I took another step forward, wanting to make my words completely clear. "I have so many friends here. Lasting friends, like Scott and Artem. Hey, Nathaniel let himself get stabbed because of me. If I left here I'd be leaving them behind too. I know it sounds silly now – but before all of this Gabriel nonsense Dalton was the place I felt the most safe in the world. And now he's gone. I hope you understand." Now it was my turn to listen. Dad sighed, looking right into my eyes, searching for any sign that I might not be telling the whole truth. He found none.

"I know." He replied, his voice sounding kind of sad. "I could see it the moment you saw me in the corridor. You belong here. Not at home. I just…miss you." Suddenly I saw a single tear roll down his cheek. I barely ever saw Dad cry – not unless we were talking about Mum. My own emotions taking over I closed the final steps between us and threw my arms around him, burying my head into his chest as my own tears split out.

"I miss you too."

* * *

When we went back into the corridor Blaine was waiting nervously outside. When he saw my tear-stained face his lip immediately trembled and he went to start crying himself.

"No!" I said quickly, rushing over and giving him a hug. "Dad says I can stay." I felt his whole body sag in relief before I pulled away and saw his eyes filled with thanks.

"Thank goodness for that." He mumbled, now beginning to smile again. Moments like this really brought home how much Blaine cared for me – something I would never quite fathom. With my arms still clasped around him I turned round and saw Dad looking at me with what could only be described as happiness in his eyes.

"You need to look after him." He said to Blaine. It sounded like a warning, but I knew it was acceptance. Accepting that he was a part of my life now.

"Oh believe me, _I will_." Stroking the top of my head Blaine looked fiercely passionate. Him and Dad shared a nod and I smiled.

"And I want you to make sure that _no_ more lunatics enter this school again!" Abruptly my father spun round to address Mr Cox, who had been about to nod off in the corner. He jumped to attention and I had to bury my face in Blaine's shoulder to stifle the giggle that threatened to come out.

"Oh, yes, of course." For a second Mr Cox didn't think Dad was joking, but then he saw his face and realisation spread across his face. "Eh hum, yes."

"Hey Dad." I said, making him focus back on me. "Do you wanna come see Nathaniel with us?"

* * *

Somehow the hospital seemed a lot more light and airy in the daytime compared to when we'd last been in it. The nurses were all very friendly and greeted us with big smiles, directing us to Nathaniel's room. He'd been moved out of intensive care but was still being monitored.

As I knocked on the door I suddenly felt a rush of butterflies go through my stomach as I remembered just why he was in here. Blaine noticed and squeezed my hand gently, giving me a warm smile before placing his hand on the wood and pushing it open. Nathaniel wasn't alone. There were a few other Wilde students there, all sat round his bed smiling and chatting with him. There were also dozens of flower bouquets scattered on tables and in baskets. It was like walking into a wedding reception.

"Kurt! Blaine!" Nathaniel said as soon as he looked up and saw us. The rest of the boys also turned to look and smiled warmly, a couple of them acknowledging me.

"Hi." I said, happy to see him so upbeat. He was sitting up properly now, and though his movements were stiff he seemed to be in less pain. "This is my Dad." I motioned to Dad, who had been silently standing behind Blaine and I to this point.

"Oh, hell Mr Hummel." Nathaniel replied, suddenly reverting back to his formal Head Boy voice. I wondered if they remembered each other from my first day at Dalton.

"I heard what you did for my son and Blaine." Dad said, also sounding quite formal, but grateful. "Thank you."

"Oh. No problem." Nathaniel blushed and I bounded over, dragging Blaine with me and pulling up another chair.

"Sorry Scott couldn't make it – he's having to sort out rooming arrangements since Wordsworth is uninhabitable." I perched down, speaking fast with enthusiasm. "Where did all the flowers come from?" Picking up a particularly nice bunch of tulips I held them to my face, taking in the sweet smell.

"Just people at Dalton. I've got chocolates coming out my ears too if you want some." He pointed to a box to the side of me and I looked inside it to see at least ten chocolate selections staring back at me.

"Woah."

"I can't believe it. Everyone has been so nice. I didn't think I had so many friends." As Nathaniel looked back at the several other Dalton students they all made noises of disbelief. I joined in.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're amazing." Moving my hand to rest over his I looked back and saw him almost crying – the emotion in his eyes making me well up too.

"Does it still hurt?" Blaine asked, rubbing my back comfortingly as I tried to hold back sobs.

"A bit. But they have me supped up on painkillers." Motioning to a bottle on his bedside table I saw the painkillers, as well as the intravenous drip attached to his wrist. "I could go into business with these." He laughed and I tried harder not to cry. The fact that he was being so good about this. He had nearly _died_.

"When do you think you'll be back at Dalton?"

"I'm not sure. They want to keep me here for a while because there's no way I can walk or anything. But I told them exams are coming up…" Suddenly a loud laugh escaped from my lips. Everyone in the room turned to look at me, including Dad.

"What? You've just been _shot _and you're thinking about _exams?_" As everyone got the joke they slowly began to laugh, until the whole room was alive with noise. Dad moved forward to rest his hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him, smiling.

* * *

"Hey Nate, tell them about your girlfriend!" Once the laughter had died down one of the Wilde boys, Christian Gard, spoke. Immediately I stopped making noise and raised my eyebrows.

"What?" Nathaniel's face flushed crimson.

"She's not my girlfriend." I was about to enquire further when the door abruptly opened behind us and a tall nurse walked in. She couldn't have been older than eighteen, so looked like an apprentice.

"Oh!" As soon as she saw the crowd of people her face flushed bright red and she almost dropped the tray she had been holding. She was very slim and seemed quite fragile, but she had the most gorgeous brown hair tied up in a bun, and soft green eyes.

"Hey Sarah." One of the Dalton boys said with a smirk. She blushed further and I looked to Blaine, wondering if he was thinking them same thing.

"I'm sorry, I was just going to take your temperature, I'll go…" Mumbling her words the girl immediately turned round to leave, but Nathaniel called out.

"No!" She spun round and he blushed again. "I mean, it's ok. You can come in…" Slowly Sarah stepped forward, moving past me to Nathaniel's side. I could tell she was conscious of everyone staring at her and her hands shook as she fumbled around with the thermometer, placing it delicately in his mouth. Moving my eyes to Nathaniel's face I saw in wonder a look in his eyes that could only be described as love. It reminded me of how I looked at Blaine and the butterflies scattered through my tummy for a completely different reason.

For a while the room was silent as the two shared their moment. I noticed Sarah seemed to have to same look in her eyes, but smaller, and she was attempting to disguise it with formality and purpose. When she removed the thermometer she studied it for a second before smiling.

"You seem to be on track." Her eyes wandered to Nathaniel's and for a second they both locked, making her breathe in sharply. Her hand drifted over to graze his shoulder but she suddenly realised what she was doing and pretended to pat down a fold in his gown, adverting her gaze quickly and blushing again.

"Ok, I'll go now." She almost ran out of the room and Nathaniel followed her with his eyes as she left, his expression falling when the door closed behind her.

* * *

"Woah." Blaine said with a smile after a second of silence. The other Dalton boys laughed and Nathaniel flushed red for the umptienth time.

"You know you can't date your doctor." Christian said, earning himself a slap on the shoulder, which despite being in a wheelchair he somehow managed to half dodge.

"Shut up. She's not my doctor. She's just a nursing student."

"A nursing student that you looooove!"

"Maybe next time you should check _her _temperature." Nathaniel cried out in annoyance and I laughed. Blaine chuckled too, pressing his nose to my face and giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. I wondered if Dad had noticed but decided that I didn't really care. The sound of the cars on the street outside drifted through the open window and I sighed, letting all the sounds mingle together in my head and squeezing Blaine's hand tightly.


	46. Superdate

_Again, major apologies for delays. This is the penultimate chapter guys! And full of fluff._

_Liz xxx_

* * *

**Chapter 46 - Superdate**

The next couple of weeks went by in a blur. I finished my series of interviews with the police and Blaine gave his account, as well as various Dahl students who apparently had been paid to carry out Gabriel's dastardly deeds. Surprisingly, my boyfriend didn't want to press any charges himself, but the Wilde student was still charged with the arson on Wordsworth. After analysis by a psychiatrist it was discovered that he had deep mental problems stemming from his rejection by his father, and was therefore sentenced to half year in an institution for his own safety. Upon visiting the Lima Bean it turned out there had been someone called Eli working there, but he had left months ago and had no recollection of anyone called Gabriel.

Exams started and the whole of Dalton fell silent, the library packed with boys burying their heads in books and scribbling mad crib notes on scraps of paper. Both Blaine and I were given permission to postpone our studies given what we had gone through, but we both declined, working together to pass all of them. Now the only thought on my mind was graduation.

* * *

The air outside was warm and summery – half of me wanted to be out in the grounds, but with Blaine curled around me on the bed I couldn't even process the thought of moving. Wordsworth was still being rebuilt, so he'd taken up a permanent residence in my room since Nathaniel had returned from hospital. As I listened to the sound of his heart beating next to mine I absentmindedly ran my fingers through the curls in his ungelled hair and smiled.

"You know I thought about failing you know." Suddenly my boyfriend spoke, breaking the happy silence that had fallen over us. I immediately sat up and frowned.

"What?" Blaine seemed upset that I had taken my hand away, but continued, looking up at me.

"I thought about failing one of my exams. So I could stay another year and be with you."

"_WHAT_?" Now I was angry. My boyfriend immediately sat up, noticing that he had upset me and tried to cup my face with his hands.

"Sssh." He said gently as I flailed.

"What? How can you say that? That's just…_stupid_. You didn't do that did you?" Suddenly worry crossed my face as I wondered if he'd been lying to me about passing.

"No. I figured you would be upset if I did. And I was right." Flopping back onto the bed Blaine sighed and all my anger instantly disappeared. Snuggling back up to him I ran my fingers down his chest and sighed.

"Sorry. But you should _never_ say things like that. I'm not worth it." Now it was Blaine's turn to sigh.

"And _you_ should never say things like _that_. You are _more_ than worth it." Rolling over so our noses were almost touching he breathed lightly onto my face so I giggled, and pushed a stray strand of hair back into place.

"I don't know what I'm going to do." He said plainly. I went to ask what he was talking about but then realised I knew. I'd been trying to avoid the though crossing my mind for a while – that when we graduated we wouldn't only be parting for summer, but for Blaine to go to college. A college that was probably even further away than Westerville was to Lima. Suddenly without even realising a single tear rolled down my cheek. Blaine gasped, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to my chin and catch it before it fell onto the bed.

"Baby…" He whispered. The sound of his voice so low made me crumble and before I knew it I was crying properly.

"Blaine…" I mumbled, my voice eventually smothered as my boyfriend crushed his arms round me and held on tight. I took in a long heady breath of his scent and dug my fingers in – not really caring if it was hurting. I just never wanted to let him go.

"Baby I love you." Blaine said, rocking me back and forth gently. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." I mumbled back, unsure if he could actually hear. I felt myself being pulled back and fought against it, but eventually my fingers gave way and I was face to face with him again.

"I love you." Blaine repeated, staring deep into my eyes. "But we don't need to get upset. This isn't the end."

"How do you know it isn't?" I said, still half sobbing. "You're gonna be hundreds of miles away and I won't be able to see you and-" I was about to start crying again but was suddenly cut off my Blaine pressing his lips to mine passionately. Breathing in sharply I felt his tongue gently press against my teeth and, when I let him in, wind round mine in a way that made me sigh. Reaching up my hand to twine my fingers in his hair I pulled him in closer and his hands immediately reached for my leg, pulling it up around his waist and groaning. As I kissed him even deeper my boyfriend moved his hands up to my waist, slipping under my shirt so I groaned and bucked towards him. Unable to take it any longer I flipped over so I was on top of him, straddling his body with my legs. When we broke away we were both panting.

"I am never gonna stop wanting you." Blaine said, his voice so breathless and sexy that I could barely stand it. "Not even if we're on the other side of the world. _This_," he motioned to our now rather hot and sweaty bodies, pressed close together, "will always be all I need." I didn't answer him, just fell down and kissed him harder.

* * *

When I knocked on Nathaniel's door I was feeling rather pleased with myself. I heard some shuffling and then it opened to reveal the Wilde Head Boy smiling back at me.

"Hey Kurt." He'd decided to grow his hair long since being in hospital and I kinda liked it. The front flicked out and framed his face, which now always seemed a lot happier than it had been.

"Hi." I skipped into the room and perched myself on the stool by his dressing table. It wasn't unusual for me to do this – most of the time I spent away from Blaine or Scott was with him.

"What are you so cheery about?" As Nathaniel followed me, shooting me a quizzical grin I blushed. For a second my mind flashed back to Blaine and I on the bed, Blaine and I against the wall, Blaine and I in the shower… (With clothes on. But it had still been fun)

"Oh nothing, just life." I grinned, making a mental note to visit the dry cleaners some time this week. Nathaniel smirked, deciding to let me be, before sitting down on the edge of his bed.

"So, to what to I owe the pleasure of your presence? Or is that just life too?" I laughed, running my fingers through my hair.

"I wanted to ask you a favour."

"Ooh, favours. I like those." Nathaniel rubbed his hands together and I smiled before continuing.

"Well it's the end of term soon and Blaine's leaving…"

"Wait? Isn't that a bad thing?" I paused, not really wanting to think about that part.

"Well, yeah. But that's the point. I want to make our last few weeks together special. So…" I spun round dramatically to face him properly, leaning forward. "I have come up with a master plan."

"A master plan eh?"

"Yup. You know how Blaine never let me plan any of our dates?" Nathaniel nodded. It was a well-known fact that this bugged me to no end. Not that Blaine had done anything about it.

"Well…I want to plan the date of all dates. A date that combines together, into one, all our first three dates. A _super date._" I held out my hands for the big reveal, my smile broad. Nathaniel looked at me with wide eyes.

"Woah." He said simply. "That is one hell of a date."

"I know. A meal, a movie and… well some cuddling." I giggled, thinking about our third date, which hadn't really been a date at all and Nathaniel smiled.

"So how do I fit in with this master super date plan?"

"I need you for the meal part. More specifically, I need your kitchen contacts." Resting my chin on my hands I titled my head to the side and tried to look as angelic as possible. My friend laughed.

"Sure, that shouldn't be a problem. Do you just need a basic meal?"

"Yeah. I have everything else sorted. Other people are helping out. Well I assume they will – I haven't asked them yet."

"Cool. I am more than up for that." Suddenly feeling the urge to, I jumped up and walked over to give Nathaniel a hug. He seemed surprised, but accepted it.

"Thanks." I said cheerily, squeezing him tightly for a second before letting go and bounding out of the room.

* * *

"Where are we going?" The whiney tone of Blaine's voice made me laugh. I'd cornered him at the end of class and whisked him off to the library – a place that was now virtually deserted now that exams were over.

"We're just taking a walk" I said, looking over my shoulder and grinning. My boyfriend scowled but I tightened my grip on his hand and pulled him towards the archive room.

"Do you remember this place?" I said once we'd gone inside, switching on the light so I could dimly see his face as it flickered. Blaine nodded.

"Of course I do." His hand groped around for me in the gloom and I smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"This is where it all started. You and me." For a second I thought back to that evening – walking in, unsure of what was going to happen, seeing those photos and then Blaine – Blaine holding me close and telling me he wanted to be with me. I rested my head against his and he turned me round, fearing something was wrong.

"Baby?"

"Sorry." Collecting myself again I put my hands on his shoulders and let my eyes adjust to the light so I could look him in the eye. "Now I'm going to say some cliché thing like 'this was where it started and this is where it ends'. Because it's not. We know that." Again the vivid image of Blaine shoving me up against the shower room wall flashed into my mind and I bit my lip. "We _definitely_ know that. But you are leaving, so I want to make the time we have left together here as special as possible."

"Why are we in here then?" Blaine seemed puzzled, looking at me quizzically before realisation spread over his face. "_OH!_" Reaching out his hands to pull my head closer to his I suddenly understood what he thought I meant.

"No no!" Waving my hands frantically I brought my boyfriend to a stop, with his mouth inches from mine and his free hand drifting towards my waistband. "No I didn't bring us in here to make out!" Blaine's face fell.

"Oh…" He pouted and I giggled, kissing him on the nose.

"Not that I wouldn't _love_ that" I said teasingly, running my hand down his shoulder so he shivered. "But I have carefully orchestrated plans that can't be interrupted." Now he went back to looking quizzical. "In there." Shoving him towards a cupboard door I laughed and Blaine craned his head to look back at me, confused.

"What?" I didn't say anything, just opened the door and pointed to the outfit I had hanging up on a hanger, grabbing my own that was next to it.

"Get changed. See you in five."

* * *

As I hurriedly put my clothes on butterflies ran through my stomach. I was excited about the evening but also extremely nervous. Everything had to go right.

"You know I'm practically naked in here right now if you wanna come join me." Blaine said from inside the cupboard. I bit my lip and resisted the temptation to move my hand towards the doorknob.

"Um, I'm ok for now. Maybe later." I replied, making him laugh and fake tut. When my boyfriend eventually emerged a few minutes later he looked dashing beyond belief. I'd picked out a lovely suit for him to wear and I felt almost like we were going out to the theatre instead of staying within the confines of Dalton.

"Wow." I breathed, unable to fully hold in my emotions. Blaine smiled, swaggering over.

"You don't look too bad yourself." Running his fingers down the edge of my lapel I inhaled sharply and he pressed his lips against my temple. "This is your last chance to make this evening very interesting." I fought madly against my impulses, relenting just enough to kiss his momentarily, before pulling away so he growled and I smiled.

"Come on baby. Don't wanna be late."

* * *

As we walked back towards Wilde Blaine began to look intrigued. His hand gripped mine tightly and I squeezed it gently to show him everything was ok. When we reached the front entrance we were greeted by Nathaniel, who had also dressed up in a very nice looking suit.

"Welcome!" He said, opening the door for both of us. Blaine shot me a sideways glance. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, we do. Hummel." I replied, loving this already. Nathaniel flicked through what was supposed to be a reservation book, but I knew was his biology notes and tapped at an imaginary name.

"Ah yes. A table for two. Right this way Mr Hummel."

When we were shown into the kitchen Blaine gasped. Nathaniel and friends had done a great job – all the titanium surfaces had been covered and the room actually looked like a restaurant. I'd helped too – adding candles and a few drapes that I'd scrounged from my old friend the costume cupboard. Looking at my boyfriend's shocked face I smiled and he squeezed my hand tightly. So far so good. Nathaniel showed us to our table and I sat down excitedly, unable to stop grinning. Blaine locked eyes with my instantly and I could tell he was overwhelmed. Before he could say anything though a menu was produced in front of him.

"Here you go sir." I laughed as he took it, looking at a scan of the menu from Sally's – the restaurant Blaine had taken me on our first date. "I would like to recommend the pan fried fish," Nathaniel said, giving me a knowing glance which I responded to enthusiastically, "I hear it's very good." Blaine laughed, smiling at me and I beamed back.

"Sure. I'll have that." He replied, handing the menu back.

"And I'll have the Carbonara." Man, just the memories were giving me goosebumps. After Nathaniel had collected up both our menus he nodded his head and exited the room. Immediately Blaine leant forward and grabbed hold of my hands.

"Kurt, I love you more than I ever thought was possible." I giggled, my cheeks flushing pink and for a second I thought he was going to lean over and kiss me. "Did you…come up with all of this?"

"Of course." I replied with a smile. "You wait and see what's still to come." Stroking my hand with his fingers Blaine shook his head in amazement, before we were interrupted by Artem appearing through the door. He was dressed like a waiter and Blaine immediately laughed.

"Heeeello." My friend said in his traditional style, whipping out a tiny notebook and pen. "I am here to take your drink order." I giggled, making him blush and Blaine shot me yet another 'I can't believe this' look.

"Does this restaurant serve alcohol to minors?" He asked with a smile. For a second Artem looked confused before I shook my head subtly and he nodded.

"I am afrayeed not." Blaine pretended to look upset and I gently kicked him under the table.

"We'll get two diet cokes please." Scribbling the words down on his notebook, Artem grinned and bounded off, leaving us alone again.

"Stop messing with the system!" I complained, slapping him lightly on his hand. Blaine grinned.

"I'm sorry. I thought I'd try my luck." He stared into my eyes and for a moment I was completely lost in them. I remembered him looking at me like that on our original date – how amazing it had made me feel. The fact that someone so unbelievably beautiful could have the slightest bit of interest in someone like me would always baffle me.

* * *

When the drinks arrived Artem presented the tray like a proper waited and I clapped, making him beam even more. As I sipped through my straw Blaine began to play footsie with me, rubbing his foot slowly up and down my leg and I blushed. Well, this _certainly_ hadn't happened the first time.

Our food arrived with Stefan, also donned in waiter gear, and it smelt good. Really good. As the plate was set down in front of me I was practically salivating. Blaine grinned, picking up his knife and fork and I let him begin cutting before starting my act.

"Oh no." I pretended to look upset and my boyfriend's eyebrows furrowed.

"What?" He held out his hand to brush mine and I almost broke my cover to smile at his genuine concern.

"It's…spaghetti." I looked up through my eyelashes, unable to hide the small smirk that crept across my face and suddenly he realised.

"Oh." I could tell he was slightly annoyed at me for worrying him, but he grinned and I knew he'd got the joke. "It's just pasta."

"Pasta that's impossible to eat alluringly."

"You want to eat alluringly?" As we went through the lines we'd said on our first date like a script I giggled and Blaine grinned back at me. I waited for him to bring his hand over and sure enough it crept round, stroking at my fingers.

"Well what you want to do…" He slowly twisted the pasta round my fork, moving even slower than he had last time and making sure he touched as much of my skin as possible. I flushed scarlet.

"Thanks." Placing the forkful of pasta in my mouth I chewed and smiled.

"Oh wait, you've got a bit of..." Suddenly Blaine leant forward. I thought he was going to use his finger to wipe the bit of sauce that had dripped down onto my face, or at least whisper in my ear, but I suddenly felt his tongue on my skin, licking a big long line that finished at the corner of my lips.

Well that certainly wasn't on the script. I tried to hold in my gasp, only letting out a tiny squeak, and he grinned, returning to his own meal as if nothing had happened. The cheek of it. I finished the rest of my food in silence, glancing up at my boyfriend occasionally to see him chewing neatly and smiling at me. I was kind of worried that he might try something like that again, and that I would like it so much the rest of my plans would be abandoned.

* * *

When our plates were clear Stefan returned and we handed them to him gratefully.

"Did you enjoy your meals?" He asked, perfectly following the script I'd given him. Blaine leant forward on the table so once again I could smell tarragon on his breath.

"Yes, it was _delicious_." He said, looking me straight in the eye. I almost choked.

We didn't order dessert (I had plans for that later) so Nathaniel emerged with a bill, neatly written out in his old fashioned handwriting. Blaine went to take a look but I immediately hid it behind my back.

"No, my shout." I said with a smile, knowing full well nobody would be paying anything. I had already given my friends something for their help anyway. My boyfriend pretended to look annoyed, before smiling. I got out my card.

"Here you go" Nathaniel took the card from me and pretended to swipe it through a machine, waiting for the imaginary receipt to print before handing it lavishly to me.

"Thank you for your custom." He said happily. Both Blaine and I beamed back before getting up out of our seats and being lead out of the kitchen.

* * *

I was happy. Part one of my super date had been a complete success. As we walked down the corridor Blaine slipped his arm round my waist and pressed his lips against my ear.

"That was amazing." He whispered. I giggled at the feeling of his breath, before turning and looking at him coyly.

"Well it's not over yet - we still have two more dates." I watched my boyfriend's eyebrows raise and laughed, before pulling him towards the stairs.

* * *

As we walked down the upper hall I could tell Blaine was intrigued - his pace was quick and his eyes trained on the door to my room but I stopped him early. That part was for later. When we were face to face with the door to Nathaniel's study he looked at me, confused.

"What was our second date?" I asked, trying to help him out.

"The cinema..."

"Well welcome." I opened the door, beaming with excitement and Blaine gasped. Once again Nathaniel had worked wonders - his study had been transformed into a mini cinema, with the desk pushed back, drapes everywhere and a sofa brought from Prada knows where and placed in the centre of the room. I clapped my hands. This was even better than I remembered it.

"Greetings friends." Suddenly Scott appeared, dressed in the most adorable vendor outfit so I let out an involuntary squeal. Blaine squeezed my hand, before smiling at Scott.

"Hi." My best friend grinned, loving the reactions.

"What film will you be seeing today?"

"The Sound Of Music!" I exclaimed, too excited to really reign in my enhusiasm. Both boys laughed and Scott magically produced two tickets from his back pocket.

"Well whaddya know, these are our last two tickets." He handed them to us grinning. "Will you be paying by card?"

"Of course." I once again prodcued my card and Scott made an even bigger show of pretending to process it. Man, this was going better than I'd ever imagined.

"Right this way sirs."

* * *

We were shown to the sofa and I sat down happily, Blaine slotting in beside me. He immediately slung his arm around my shoulders and I snuggled into him.

"The show will start in three minutes." Scott said, before exiting. When we were alone Blaine turned to me. His hair was shining in the artificial light and I could see every neat curl.

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" He said. I giggled.

"Yes, I think you did earlier..." Our faces moved closer together as I went in to kiss him, before Scott suddenly reappeared.

"Popcorn?" He shoved the overflowing bucket in my face and I scowled. Way to ruin the moment dude.

"Yeah sure." Blaine thought it was hilarious however, taking the bucket as he laughed. "Is it complimentary?"

"Nope. Pay up buddy." I got my card back out my pocket and handed it to my best friend.

"You know what? Just keep it." Scott grinned, swiping the card out of my hand and slipping it in his pocket.

"Enjoy the film."

* * *

We turned out all the lights for the film, which was playing on a plazma TV screen that looked to have been borrowed from another Wilde student. Blaine pulled me in closer and I immediately felt tingles run up and down my spine. We were completely alone. In the dark. The movie started and I tried to concentrate on what was going on, but Blaine was more interested in me. His hands were running everywhere and it was more than distracting.

"_Blaine_!" I hissed eventually, making him chuckle just as the goodbye scene on the stairs was going on.

"You know what we never did when we saw this the first time?" He whispered in my ear. I turned to look at him fearing the response. "Make out." Before I even had time to reply his lips were on mine earnest and strong. The surprise made me speak and Blaine smiled, pulling me in even closer and wedging his hands in my hair. Oh Gaga, I could taste popcorn and was he? He was getting a kernel out my teeth with his tongue. Why was that so darn erotic?

"Blaine the other people in the cinema will look at us!" I tried to protest, even though stopping was the last thing on my mind. Blaine chuckled.

"Well screw those other people. They can watch."

For a while I couldn't break away from the kiss, entranced by the feeling of our tongues duelling, but then Blaine moved his hands into my hair, pressing me into the sofa and I realised what we were doing.

"Hey look, it's blonde Nathaniel." Turning back to the film I pointed the boy out and smiled. Blaine growled.

"_Kuuuuurt.._." He began kissing my neck but I pushed him away, still snuggling close to him but now returning my concentration to the film. It was the Sound of Music after all.

* * *

When the final credits rolled Blaine awoke from the gentle slumber he'd been in and began to play with my hair. I opened my eyes too and sighed. Did we really have to move onto the next part? I could lie here forever.

"What do we have next?" My boyfriend asked, his voice relaxed and happy. I shook my head, burying it into his chest and stroking his waist with my fingertips. Not yet...

"Baby?" I was about to look up and explain when Scott burst into the room again, making me jump out of my skin.

"Hey!" He exclaimed happily "Did you enjoy the film?"

"We certainly did." Blaine replied, ignoring my scowl and chuckling. "Come on sweetie pie, it's closing time." Nuding me gently I groaned, sitting back up and straightening my suit.

"Please come again soon!" Scott said cheesily, grinning. You had to hand it to him, he was good. As we walked past him I smiled, glad I had such an awesome best friend to do this for me. He grinned back, giving me a hug and whispering "have fun" in my ear. I laughed. He also paused to say something to Blaine as he passed, but I was too focused on the final part of my plan to pay any attention to what it was.

* * *

When the door closed behind us I turned to Blaine, the corridor empty and silent. He went to say something but instead I grabbed hold of his hands and began to walk slowly backwards. It took only a few steps to get to the door of my room, which I then opened. Nobody had worked their magic on this - it was just my room. Plain and simple.

"Now the last date..." I began, looking into Blaine's eyes and smiling. "Was kinda just us being us. So I thought we could do that." My boyfriend stared back at me looking at me with the most loving expression I had ever seen. Then he sighed.

"Thank God."

Suddenly his lips were on mine, my back was against the wall and my hands we held up above my head. Blaine attacked me ferociously, slipping his tongue in before I'd even granted him entrance and moaning. Jeez, he really was horny. And he ran his hands sensually down my arms I groaned back wrapping them around his waist and pulling him closer so our hips jarred together and we both cried out. All of a sudden we were moving again, Blaine picking me up and stumbling towards the bed, throwing me down and then launching himself on top of me, thrusting already. Holy mother of

"God!" I screamed out. This felt damn good.

"Do you know how much I wanted to do this all the way through both our dates?" Blaine said, his voice raw with lust. I couldn't reply, overcome with desire. Instead I grabbed hold of his tie and yanked his face towards mine again. Actually, that was a good idea. My hands moved to undo the tie. The suit looked hot on Blaine, but it would look even hotter on the floor. Once he knew what I was doing my boyfriend eagerly went to help, shrugging off his jacket and fumbling with his shirt buttons before then undoing mine. Pretty soon we were both shirtless, panting, hungry. I wanted Blaine more than I had ever wanted anything in my life.

* * *

"Hey wait." We'd gone back to kissing, our bodies rubbing together so the friction drove me crazy but suddenly Blaine stopped. I immediately whined, fumbling around for something to grab onto so I could have his mouth on mine again and I saw him falter, before moving his hands to pat around his trousers. Oh, so we were going there now.

"Good idea." I said, now even more turned on - but I was wrong. Blaine reached his trouser pocket, delved inside and pulled out a note.

"Scott gave this to me." He said, moving to a kneeling position, but with his legs still straddled over mine. "At the end of the film. He said I should open it when we were alone." My eyebrows furrowed. This hadn't been in the plan. Scott hadn't even mentioned anything about a note. Was this something he and Nathaniel had concocted?

"Hmm..." I sat up, intrigued. Blaine noted my confusion and proceeded to open the envelope, which was simply marked 'Blaine'. I craned my neck to see the writing but he held it out of my view, reading slowly and carefully. Then he stood up.

"Hey!" I whined. I didn't like not knowing what was going on, I liked him being away from me even less. Following my boyfriend across the room I saw him stop by my closet, before opening it. What on earth was he doing in my closet?

"Blaine what's going on?" I asked. I saw him look down, before crouching and picking up a box. Well I certainly hadn't seen that before.

"I think this is it." He said. There was a note on top of this too and I could see what it said.

**'No need to thank me. Scott'**

What was this? Blaine traced his fingers along the box, looking almost as intrigued as I was, before flipping it open in one swift motion. I gasped.

"Oh my God." That's it. I was murdering my best friend. And Mercedes for that matter.

"What's this?" My boyfriend asked. I groaned.

"It's mine." He turned to face me, his eyes widening.

"You...you used to be a...?"

"Yes." Blaine's voice was high pitched, squeaky. He was seriously turned on.

"Well...um...er...does it still fit?" He held the box out to me the bright red outfit staring back, neatly folded. I sighed. There was only one way to find out.


	47. Graduation

_Oh my God. This is it guys. After 7 months. The final chapter of You Do Or You Dalton._

_Enjoy._

* * *

**Chapter 47 - Graduation**

My legs and arms were very sore for the next couple of days. Every time Blaine and I saw each other during class we'd blush and remember, looking down at the floor and making everyone but Scott extremely confused. My cheerios outfit was something to be used only on special occasions, but _boy_, were those occasions special.

The weeks passed quickly. Far too quickly. Lessons began to dwindle but I was still fairly busy. After a lot of thinking (and a discussion with Blaine) I'd decided to nominate myself for Wilde Head Boy next year. Nathaniel had decided to be my chief backer, showing me the ropes and helping me with my campaign, whilst Scott turned himself into a one-man promotion machine, sticking up pictures of my face in places where people weren't even going to vote.

In the final week everything was reaching boiling point, from the final final lessons that weren't really lessons anymore, to the preparations for the final senior assembly, where everyone graduating would be commended and awards would be given out.

* * *

I felt sick. Today was the day. The final day of my first year at Dalton. And my penultimate year. I glanced across the room at Blaine, who was straightening his tie in the mirror. All the seniors were allowed to invite their parents for the final assembly – so I would finally get to meet Mr and Mrs Anderson. To say I was nervous was an understatement.

"Here." I walked over, turning my boyfriend around so I could help him and straighten out his collar. And my fingers ran along the stiff cotton I accidentally brushed against the skin of his neck and felt us both shiver.

"Thanks." He replied. For a second we stared at each other, thinking about what this day meant for us, for the future.

"Is there any way you can take a year off?" I asked, even though I knew it was pushing the boundaries. I wished I wasn't the year below him, the he didn't have to run off to college whilst I was still stuck here at high school like some little kid. Blaine sighed.

"I wish. But it's all sorted now. My Dad has been talking about me going to NYADA for months. The only way for me to stay was to fail. And you wouldn't let me do that." He smiled, lifting up his finger to iron out the creases that had appeared in my brown upon the mention of that subject again. Right now Blaine failing seemed like a good option.

"Remember we have the whole summer." He said. "And once you've met my parents they wont have any problem with you staying round lots." He grinned, taking that extra little step forward and craning his head so our lips could touch in a soft kiss. I immediately moved my hand to the back of his head and tried to deepen it, but he pulled away.

"Nuh uh," he tutted, wagging his finger, "need to keep pristine." He pointed to his immaculate uniform and I groaned in annoyance, making him smile. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and sighed. "You're gonna be the death of me you know that?" He muttered, before slipping his hand into mine. "You ready?" I nodded, grabbing the 'Kurt for Wilde Head Boy' badge Scott had made me and pinning it on my blazer as we walked out the door.

* * *

Nearly all the members of Wilde were in the common room, as well as a lot of Wordsworthians. The last time I'd seen it this busy had been when we'd had our first house get-together. Wow. That brought back memories. I squeezed Blaine's hand as we entered and he smiled. Nathaniel was standing across the other side of the room, chatting to Stephen, Wade and Connor. Standing next to him was a tall, pretty girl in a beautiful mint green dress. Tugging Blaine along with me I headed straight to them.

"Hi!" I exclaimed happily. Nathaniel turned to look and smiled when he saw me, also looking extremely smart and handsome.

"Well if it isn't our new Head Boy!" He said, holding out his arm so everyone turned to look at me. I blushed.

"Sssh, nothing's been announced yet." I mumbled, walking over and giving my friend a hug.

"Well I've already placed my bet." Nathaniel grinned and I gave him a soft shove, before turning to the girl.

"Hi Sarah." She immediately blushed, but it added to her pale complexion and made her look beautiful. She tightened her grip on Nathaniel's hand and he smiled, kissing her softly on the head.

"You remember Kurt and Blaine right? From the hospital?" She nodded, raising her hand slightly and giving a small wave.

"Hi." Blaine slipped his hands round my waist and nuzzled his nose into the side of my face. Feeling his warm breath made me relax and for a moment I completely forgot where I was. Then a thought popped into my head.

"Where's Scott?"

* * *

As if on cue a crash sounded outside. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look as my best friend shot into the room. His uniform looked to have been put on in a rush, with his collar askew and his tie and blazer uneven. He stumbled forward a few paces, the whole room silent as they watched him, before stopping, looking around and raising his hands in the air.

"The party's here!"As he bounded over I smiled, breaking away from Blaine so I could give him a hug.

"You are ridiculous." I said, sorting out his collar and straightening his tie as I spoke. Sometimes I felt more like his Mum than his best friend.

"I was making last minute promotion adjustments." Scott grinned - I saw a large 'Kurt for Head Boy' badge pinned to his blazer and chuckled.

"The voting is over now, I don't think it matters. And this isn't my day anyway - it's everyone else's" Signaling to Blaine and Nathaniel both seniors smiled, Blaine kissing me on the cheek.

"Well we want to celebrate your win too."

"Ok, ok, everybody needs to stop with the 'you're gonna win' speeches now," I said, holding up my hands in protest, "you're gonna jinx it." Laughter rang around the room and I scowled, before Blaine pulled me in close again and Nathaniel continued the story he'd previously been telling.

* * *

Everyone gathered together in the cafeteria for lunch - it was the first time I'd seen every student of Dalton in the same place apart from at the Yule Ball. Space was tight so my legs were squished up against Blaine's on the bench, but I didn't mind. Everyone was chattering excitedly to each other - talking about when their parents were coming or what colleges they were going to. Nathaniel had been accepted into Brown - he was going to study medicine. For the first time I let Blaine talk about college freely, without putting up a fight. This was his day - his time to shine and move on to the next stage of his life. Our relationship was minor in comparison, as was the part I played in deciding where he went.

Later on everyone cleared up and prepared for the arrival of their parents. All the non seniors could leave at this point until the final assembly, but I stayed with Blaine, saying goodbye to Scott with butterflies raging in my stomach.

"You'll do fine," he said, punching my arm in his usual way that supposed to be comforting, but actually almost made me fall over, "They'll love you." I smiled, waving goodbye and watching as he disappeared into the safety of the corridor. The cafeteria seemed much emptier now, emptier and bigger. Blaine sensed my nerves.

"Don't be nervous." He said, turning me to face him and putting his hands on my hips. I laughed.

"That's easy for you to say - you've already met my parents."

"True." Blaine nodded, gazing off into space for a few seconds. "And that was very scary."

"Exactly my point." I buried my head into his chest and groaned. My boyfriend laughed at the sound.

"But that went fine. Just as this will. They'll love you." Suddenly Blaine's hip buzzed and I jumped away, surprised. He rummaged around in his pocket, pulling out his phone and looking at it. "They're here. Shall we meet them outside?" Nodding, even though I didn't want to leave he grabbed hold of my hand, pulling me along as we both walked out into the corridor.

* * *

Now I was bricking it. Was there a way for me to get out of this without hurting Blaine? I didn't think there was. But right now I was considering anything. My boyfriend kept having to tug me to move faster and I realised I was probably being selfish. He hadn't seen his parents in a while. Taking a deep breath I drew level with him and he smiled, before we reached the front entrance to Dalton that spilt out into the car park. There were fancy cars everywhere. I was kind of glad Dad and Carole weren't coming until later because they probably would have been embarrassed parking next to these. My eyes widened as I took in the Phantoms, Ferrari's, Rolls Royces... If Blaine himself owned a Cadillac, I hated to think what his parents drove.

"Ah, there they are." Looking into the distance and waving I followed my boyfriend's gaze to see two smartly dressed people walking towards us, leaving behind-

"A _HUMMER_?" Blaine laughed, seeing my eyes widen.

"Yeah. Mum's been trying to get rid of that thing for ages. She says it's embarrassing. But Dad loves it." Before I had time to say anything else, Blaine's parents reached hearing distance and I gave them a good look. Mr Anderson was the epitome of Blaine – tall, dark slightly curly hair, _incredibly_ handsome. He seemed to radiate power, but it was a friendly power, more like charisma. I would have said Blaine got all his good looks from that side, but his Mum was stunning too. Her hair was a reddish colour, slightly wavy, and pulled up into the most gorgeous messy bun (that obviously wasn't messy at all). I felt my self-confidence dip a considerable amount just looking at them. Blaine lived in a family of supermodels.

"Blaine!" Mrs Anderson ran forward to engulf her son in a big hug. He had to let go of my hand briefly, but he let it hover in the air feeling for me and he rested his face on her shoulder.

"Hi Mum." Once they had broken apart Blaine's Dad hugged him too, this one slightly more manly but with the same care. It reminded me of when I hugged my Dad and I sighed, happy for him.

"How are you?" Mr Anderson asked. His voice was deep and strangely attractive (stop it Kurt), but had a light tone to it.

"Good," Blaine replied, smiling, "great." He linked his fingers back up with mine and both parents turned to look at me. Immediately I felt the butterflies return. "This is Kurt." I waited for the disapproving looks, the furrowed eyebrows, maybe even the 'is that it?' comments. I even closed my eyes, flinching, ready to take the hit. When I heard nothing I opened my eyes and wondered if, even worse, they didn't have anything to say about me at all.

"Well isn't he a catch?" Blaine's Mum was the first to speak – at first I didn't quite understand what she was saying, but then the words processed and my eyes widened for about the fiftieth time that day. What?

"I'm Kirsten." Holding out her hand I stared at the dainty manicured nails for a few seconds, before Blaine nudged me and I realised I had to shake it.

"I'm sorry." I blurted out, immediately feeling embarrassed, "I'm not rude. It's just…you have really pretty hands." Oh sweet Lord. What a great first sentence. I expected Kirsten to scowl and release my hand, but instead she laughed, gripping it tighter.

"I should think so," she said, smiling, "I spent all morning getting these done." I realised she was joking and laughed nervously. How were they so nice? I was their son's boyfriend – they should be quizzing me about my background and wealth and…suddenly the realization hit. Maybe Blaine's parents didn't care about that.

"Sandy." I had another hand thrust towards me and this time I took it with no comment – his handshake was very strong and I felt like my arm was being pulled off. Sandy Anderson…

"Or you can call him Sandy Andy." Blaine interjected, grinning. I laughed, before glancing quickly at his Dad to check whether that had been a faux pas.

"Of course. The old work nickname. Can't get enough of that thing." He smiled and I decided he looked possibly even more attractive than before.

"So…" Sandy asked, once again catching me off guard with just how charismatic he was, "how have you found today so far Kurt?" I paused, wondering what to say.

"Well, it's been great. Having everyone together for the last time. But it's sad, I mean, it's sad that Blaine's leaving." I glanced up at my boyfriend and saw him gazing at me adoringly, a look that made my insides turn to jelly and my eyes gaze back in the exact same way. Suddenly Kirsten squealed, making us both jump, and Sandy laughed, a loud booming laugh not dissimilar to Artem's.

"You two are just _adorable_." She said, smiling and pushing us both together so my nose bumped into Blaine's shoulder. "Well I can safely say you are welcome round _any_ time during the summer Kurt. And from what Blaine tells me you're an excellent cook – maybe we can make dinner together or something." I had to stop my mouth dropping open – astonished at how amazing this whole situation was. Blaine's parents hadn't batted an eyelid at me. I was gay, Blaine was gay, we were in love. None of that mattered to them. If Blaine was happy – they were happy.

"I'd, I'd love that." Suddenly I felt emotion welling up inside me, a love that I hadn't felt in a long time, except around my Dad and Carol. Acceptance.

"Well that's settled then!" Clapping his son on the shoulder Sandy beamed, before motioning towards the school. "Shall we go in?" Everyone nodded and we all began walking, Blaine squeezing my hand tightly as we walked up the stone steps.

* * *

The main hall was packed. There was barely any air to breathe – it was all being taken up by seniors and parents and greedy little freshmen that hadn't learnt to breathe through their noses yet. I glanced across at Scott, who was sitting next to me, fidgeting already. He was supposed to be sitting with the other Wordsworth juniors, but as per usual he'd completely disregarded the rules and plonked himself here. On my other side was Artem, Stefan next to him. We were all here. Blaine was sat all the way across the other side of the hall, next to Nathaniel, and ironically, Xavier. He looked so smart, his serious head Boy face on and his uniform primped to perfection. Kirsten had made sure it looked that way before we went in, despite Blaine trying to loosen his tie and get me to play with his collar as we sat talking. Saying goodbye had been really hard, even though it wasn't really goodbye at all. It felt too much like the real one we would be having all to soon. As I gazed over at him, love in my eyes, Scott nudged me and I looked over.

"It's not good to look at Nathaniel like that." He said with a grin. "His girlfriend is right over there." I gave him a shove, before glancing over briefly at Sarah, sat next to Nathaniel's Mum and a girl I assumed must be Nikki, with Sandy and Kirsten right behind. There was another family meeting session that had gone well.

"Attention students, teachers, everybody else." My Cox said, stepping up to the microphone that had been set up on the stage and smiling at the crowd. "Welcome to the final assembly of the 2010-2011 school year at Dalton Academy." He paused, giving everyone time to soak in the statement. This really was the last time we'd be together before summer. "Thank you very much for all coming – I know some of you have traveled great distances to be here. It is very important here at Dalton that we acknowledge the incredible achievements our senior students have made, and that the other younger students witness this recognition, so they in turn, can be inspired to do the same before they graduate." We watched him glance from the parents, to the seniors, and then the rest of the school. When you thought about it, he really was a good principal. Everybody respected him.

"Now I know this year hasn't been easy for everyone – and I don't just mean exams." A small titter rang around the room and Mr Cox smiled briefly, before his expression went serious. "We've had to deal with many things, including a fire and several ambulances on campus." It was hard not to look at Nathaniel and Blaine. The Wilde head boy immediately blushed but Blaine stayed strong, nudging him comfortingly and smiling. "But despite all this everyone has clubbed together and we've got through it. Some of us have even become better people as a result." Now every eye was trained to the side of the stage. "I think it would be hard not to identify Nathaniel Archibald as a student that has truly excelled himself this year. Not just in his studies, which have lead him to be accepted into Brown for medicine, but also in the courage he has shown and being a Head Boy, and also a hero." Now I felt tears beginning to well in my eyes. Sarah was already blubbering, her head buried into Nathaniel's mother's shoulder, who was crying too. "Not many people understand the sacrifice this young man made for one of his friends – how much that sacrifice that nearly cost him. At Dalton we teach our students to be brave and honest, but Nathaniel has gone above and beyond these lessons. For this we have decided to award him with a special commemoration, for services to the school." A gasp rang out across the room. Nathaniel's eyes widened in shock, his mouth dropping open. I felt a smile stretch across my face and unable to stop myself I began to clap. Several people around me looked at me, but Scott joined in and so did my row – pretty soon the whole hall was clapping. Blaine gave a cheer, slapping Nathaniel on the back and he stumbled up to the stage, looking like he'd just won the lottery. When he reached Cox the principal shook his hand briskly, before handing what looked like a trophy and an envelope. Nathaniel seemed dazed but was suddenly handed a microphone. He stared at it for a couple of seconds before looking around gingerly and speaking.

"Wow." Laughter rang out again and he smiled briefly. "I, I was not expecting this. _Wow_." Glancing down at the trophy in his hands he seemed overwhelmed. "I've had my ups and downs here at Dalton. I was overjoyed when everyone in Wilde voted for me to be Head Boy – I hadn't actually thought I would win. The fact they thought I was capable was a massive boost. I know my methods are slightly…unorthodox." Suddenly cheers rang out around me. Several Wilde students had jumped to their feet and were whooping and hollering. Nathaniel laughed, almost dropping his trophy. "And I know lots of people thought I was weird and a freak." The laughter died down, everyone becoming more serious. "But that never really mattered. Because I knew what I was doing made _me_ happy. And I know it's good to help everyone else out and I generally did that. But overall you have to put _yourself_ first in your life. You won't achieve anything if you focus just on what other people say. Thankfully however, I found some people who accepted me for who I was, even the weird parts." He paused for a second. His eyes went to Blaine, who nodded, then he searched the crowd until he found me. I knew my tears couldn't be held back much longer – I was desperately trying to pretend I had something in my eye but Scott put his hand on my shoulder and suddenly they were rolling down my face. "These people taught me that it's ok to be yourself, and that you can use those traits for good. And I paid them back for their kindness." Holy Prada. This was too much. I was now sobbing. _Loudly_. Scott put his arm around me and whispered about me leaving the room, but I fought against myself, wanting to stay for the whole of Nathaniel's speech.

"So to all of you still at this school." He continued, standing up tall and strong, looking more of a man than I'd ever seen before. "Stay strong. Work hard. Do good. You will always be rewarded. And you may even find yourself a hot nurse girlfriend at the end of it." Suddenly a squeal rang out. Sarah, so overcome with emotion and embarrassment a being singled out, had let out the noise and immediately flushed crimson red. Nathaniel grinned, looking straight at her with what could only be described as love and I felt myself wanting to sob again. Thankfully the sound of everybody clapping drowned me out and Nathaniel returned to his seat beaming, but also with a few tears running down his face.

"Well…" Cox said once the noise had died down and he had returned to the microphone. That was a speech and a half. I am going to have to do well to top it." People around me laughed again and I sniffed, trying to regain my composure. "We also have three other Head Boys that we have to say goodbye to this year, Xavier Winklevoss, Hunter Marquis and Blaine Anderson." Scott suddenly let out a loud whoop at the sound of Blaine's name – I went to pull him down but suddenly realised I should be doing it too. Blaine laughed, smiling at me and I grinned back, before we both sat down. "All three have shown exceptional leadership skills and Blaine had the honour of leading the winners for the House Cup." All the Wordsworth students cheered, Wes and David standing up, and Blaine bounded up to the stage to collect the official House Cup trophy. He held it aloft for a second and more cheers rang out, before taking it back to his seat. "The boys will be attending Harvard, Yale and NYADA respectively and we wish them all the best of luck." Looking at his notes for what was next, Cox smiled. "Ah. Now, as we say goodbye to our senior head boys, we say hello to our new junior ones." My stomach immediately clenched. Scott grabbed my arm in excitement and Blaine immediately looked my way – giving me a supportive nod. I bit my lip and chewed on it nervously.

"For those of you that don't know, several students from each house nominate themselves for the position of Head Boy – they make campaigns and then each house individually votes for their new leader." Looking to Mr Banner, the history teacher walked up and handed him an envelope, obviously containing the names. My stomach twisted further. "Ok. I have the results here. For Darwin, our new Head Boy is…Andrew Lee." Cheers rang out – a Chinese boy I'd never really seen before stood up and went to the front of the stage, shaking hands with Cox before sitting down in the four new seats that had been set up next to the current head boys. Xavier smirked, obviously unhappy to be giving up his power. "The new Head Boy for Wordsworth…Jimmy Filan" I cheered, surprised as my Trig classmate also walked up to the stage and took his seat. "The new Head Boy for Dahl…Damien Dubrisque." _Oh no_. Groans rang out from several W students, the loudest of all Scott. I hadn't even known he'd nominated himself. As Damien sauntered up to the stage, that same wild look in his eyes as he smirked I wondered if anyone had even voted in Dahl at all. _That_ was certainly going to be an interesting house next year. "And finally. The new Head Boy for Wilde…" Scott's grip on my arm tightened, so tight I almost lost the blood flow. I held my breath, the wait seeming like months, no years. "…Kurt Hummel."

* * *

My vision went white. Scott immediately jumped on me, letting out the biggest whoop I had ever heard – it blasted my eardrums to pieces. Artem and Stefan also attacked me, grabbing hold of my arm and hoisting me up so I struggled to keep my balance. Everyone around me was cheering, slapping my back, calling out my name. I stumbled up towards the stage, still unable to believe this was happening, and shook Cox's hand in a daze. When I reached the chairs I saw Blaine on his feet, the pride bursting from him as his hands clapped together frantically. I wanted to run up and kiss him but knew that would be inappropriate, so took my seat next to Damien – my new co-worker.

"Kurt." He said, his voice stilted and full of hidden meaning that right now I couldn't be bothered to decipher.

"Damien." We looked away from each other and I stared back at the Wilde students, who were still going crazy. They had voted for me. All of them. Well most of them – I didn't care how many. I was head boy.

* * *

When the assembly finished I'd barely had time to stand up from my seat when Blaine picked me up. I felt myself being whirled around in a circle and screamed, before he dropped me down slowly and kissed me passionately.

"My little head boy." He said, beaming from ear to ear. I began to cry again of happiness, pressing kisses to his forehead as he did the same along my jaw. I could have stayed like that for hours but Scott engulfed us again and began jumping up and down. I was jolted about vigorously but didn't care.

"KURT WON! KURT WON!" He cheered, almost as happy as I was. When I was finally released I saw Kirsten and Sandy looking on proudly. Blaine beckoned them over, his arm still round my waist and they beamed at me as they approached.

"Congratulations!" Kirsten said, holding out her arms and giving me a hug. I accepted it gratefully, blown away by their kindness. Sandy shook my hand again and I felt myself grow at least three inches taller. I had all this responsibility now – it made me feel like a man.

"You'll get a kick ass room next year." Blaine said with a grin, rubbing my shoulder with his free hand.

"Dibs on the couch!" Scott shouted, making everyone laugh. Suddenly Nathaniel approached, hand in hand with Sarah and I ran over to give him a hug.

"I knew you could do it." He said, also grinning. I sighed.

"Well I have a tough act to follow. I've gotta win an special award and everything." My friend chuckled.

"Just bring the House Cup home to Wilde next year. Wipe the smug grin off that guys face." He pointed to Blaine, who pretended to be offended and we all laughed.

* * *

"Eh hum." Suddenly I heard a noise behind me and turned round to see who it was. My eyebrows raised.

"Kurt." Xavier said. He looked almost pained, like he was building himself up to say something he didn't quite want to say. "I know we've, er, had our ups and downs this year." He tried not to look at Blaine, but I could tell it was hard. "And, we probably don't like each other that much. But I er, just wanted to say...congratulations." My surprise grew. "Oh getting Head Boy." He continued, as if I didn't already know. "You will probably, um, be good." Wow. I had to stop the laughter that was threatening to bubble out of me. Here was Xavier - the guy I openly hated - _congratulating_ me!

"Um...thanks." I said in reply, not really knowing how to respond. "I guess."

"Cool." Suddenly he raised his hand and I looked at it for a couple of seconds. He seemed even less eager to be offering it, but I took it anyway and we shook hands quickly, before immediately returning them to our sides.

"Good luck with Harvard." I added quickly, wanting to sound at least a bit grateful. Xavier stared at me, probably wondering why I was still talking, before swiftly turning round and walking off. As I watched him return to a pair of extremely rich and powerful looking adults I spun back round to face Blaine, my eyes wide.

"What the hell was that?"

"I have no idea." Blaine shrugged his shoulders, before we both burst out laughing.

"Hey guys!" Artem suddenly said, running over from what looked to be a crowd of Wildeans. "Celebration party in Wilde before we leave!" Everyone cheered, Blaine looking to his parents for approval, who nodded, and we all sprinted off, feeling like we were running on clouds.

* * *

It didn't quite feel real when I stood by Blaine's car – all his cases being hauled into the trunk by Sandy. (I'd joked about them having a butler but apparently he'd been awarded an holiday so wasn't there. Jeez.) Burt and Carol weren't due for another couple of hours, which was a good thing because I was nowhere near packed. The Wilde party had gone on for longer than expected and I'd forced Blaine to stay and extra ten minutes for half an hour. Even he had struggled to be ready in time.

"Well." Blaine said, as the last case was loaded. "This is it." His hands gripped hold of mine tightly and we stared into each other's eyes.

"Don't go." I said, even though I knew it was stupid. Blaine sighed, smiling as he took one hand and brushed back a strand of my hair.

"It's just like Christmas." He said. "We were apart then."

"Yeah, but Christmas was different. We weren't together." He nodded and I pouted, making him smile again.

"You are coming to visit me as _soon_ as you can." He said, tapping my nose with his finger. I nodded, feeling like a three year old.

"Yes. I'll come tomorrow." Blaine chuckled and I ran my fingers across his lips. "I'll miss you." At this his face fell. Both of us realised what this meant. We were saying goodbye. And though it wouldn't be for long, there would be a time when I would say goodbye to Blaine at an airport. And then he would leave.

Pressing his lips earnestly to mine I pulled my boyfriend in close, wanting to taste all of him just that last time, trying to store him up inside me so I could call on the supply when I needed it. Blaine pulled my waist to his and for a second I forgot that we were in a parking lot – that his parents and probably several other people were all watching. It was just us.

"I love you." Blaine said as we broke away, staring into my eyes so I immediately started crying.

"I love you too."

"Come on lovebirds." Kirsten broke up the party, pulling at Blaine's shoulder softly so he groaned. I clung to him for a couple of seconds, not wanting to let go, before slowly and reluctantly, my fingers fell away. Already my body felt cold and I very nearly jumped into the trunk with his bags before it was shut.

"I'll call you as soon as I get home." Blaine said, his eyes never leaving mine as he was herded to the passenger seat by his Mum. I nodded vigorously, now crying my eyes out. "Come visit me!"

"I will."

"I love you!"

"I love you too!" The car door was shut – Blaine craned his neck around to look at me and I blew him kisses, following the car out the parking lot until it got too fast and I watched it speed away from me into the distance. Turning back towards Dalton I realised I could pretty much see the whole building from here. I paused, taking in the school that had now become my home – that I would help lead next year. Summer was here. I was going to miss it. But I would be back.

* * *

**Epilogue**

I straightened my tie in the mirror. This one was bigger than in my last room – I could see all my body without my feet being cut off. My new shoes shone in the light from the window. Running my hands through my hair I checked my reflection one final time, searching for any imperfection that might make me a less desirable head boy to anyone I was about to meet. When I was finally satisfied I checked my watch, walked out of my room at the end of the corridor and shut the door behind me.

My steps felt ominous down the cold marble steps. Nobody else was in the building – I'd been the first to arrive. As I stood outside the main doorway I glanced to my left at the 'Wilde House' sign, the picture of Oscar above it. It looked like it had been cleaned over the summer, like most of Dalton. Sighing deeply I checked my blazer yet again and waited for the first student to appear on the horizon. I remembered what it had felt like this time last year – stepping into an unfamiliar setting. Dalton had seemed so alien, so neat and pristine. I remembered I'd been so scared about stepping on the flowerbeds I'd kicked to pieces in a rage several months later. It was amazing how things changed when you got used to them. How I had changed.

Suddenly I spotted several figures making their way towards me. This boy looked like a Freshman, and he seemed about ready to pass out. His father was lugging his suitcase behind him whilst his mother held his hand and navigated him around the flowerbeds. As they approached I took one final deep breath, smiled and held out my arms.

"Welcome to Wilde!"

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

_WOW. This has been a ride and a half. I can't quite believe it's over. I have loved writing all 47 chapters of this story, and to receive the feedback and readership it has was just mindblowing. I have made friends from this story and just had the most amazing time. Thank you to each and every one of you. I love you all._

_Now comes the subject of new writing._

_I currently already have a new project underway. It's a completely new multi chapter fic called 'Friends With Benefits'. That one will be M rated and I should start posting it in the next few weeks._

_**However**. As some of you may have already seen - I have come up with an idea. For a YDOYD sequel._

_The idea is there. And I'm excited. BUT. Blaine is at college. This means, that whilst there will be Klaine (and quite a bit of it) the story will mainly focus on Kurt and the other junior (going into senior) characters of YDOYD. So for example Nathaniel, Xavier, Wes and David will all be gone. There will also be several new character introduced to replace the ones that have gone. My one question to you guys is - would you read this? I realise it's going more into AU and an actual novel than fanfiction, so I understand if you'd rather read just Klaine, but if you want it I'd be more than happy to write. Bearing in mind though that even if I do decide to write this it wont be out for a long time._

_So there you go. Review this chapter. Tell me what you thought of the final installment. Then tell me if you want more._

_BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!_

_Liz xxx_

_Edit 21/3/12 - THE SEQUEL IS NOW LIVE! Check my page!_


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